 The results for the 2008/9 Green Flag Award were announced on 17th July. We were very pleased to learn that Troopers Hill Local Nature Reserve had been awarded a flag for a second year. In Bristol the Downs also kept its Green Flag while Blaise Castle Estate and Queens Square were first time winners.
Achieving the Green Flag Award for Troopers Hill has been a great team effort with everyone working together to bring real improvements to the hill and the way it is managed. Friends of Troopers Hill would like to thank everyone who has played their part in achieving this success.
 Particular thanks go to Sally, John, Claire, Phil, Caroline and Adrian at Bristol Parks and also to Dave, Julian and the rest of their team at Bristol Contract Services (pictured left). Thanks also to YANSEC for their continuing support. Most importantly thank you to everyone who has joined us on Work Parties, supported our events or other activities, delivered newsletters or helped us in any other way. Strong involvement of the local community is a major factor in the assessment of Green Flag sites so everyone involved with Friends of Troopers Hill has played their part and should be proud of this achievement.
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More Information
 To qualify for the award a site has to be well manged, have good community involvement and where possible be accessible to all. Each award is for 12 months but with the full commitment of Bristol Parks we are sure that we will keep the flag flying for the foreseeable future. The Green Flag Award website has lots of information about the award including a list of the 'key criteria' that sites have to meet and details of all the other Green Flag sites around the country.
Throughout 2007 and into 2008 Bristol Parks have continued to maintain the site in accordance with the Management Plan both to protect the heathland and acid grassland and to ensure that the hill is safe and welcoming to visitors. Julian now visits the site two days per week on average to ensure that it is well maintained and that any problems are rapidly dealt with. In working towards the 2007/8 Award Bristol Parks extended our YANSEC funded wheelchair accessible path and installed two new benches and a new interpretation board.
Bristol Parks Green Flag webpages >>
The judges provide feedback on each site which gives an indication of what they liked and what they think needs to be addressed before the following year.
 Green Flag Judges Feedback Report 2008 - available soon.
Green Flag Judges Feedback Report 2007
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The 2007/8 Award
 
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To celebrate our first award in 2007 the Lord Mayor of Bristol visited Troopers Hill for a photo shoot. Friends of Troopers Hill were on hand to show him the site and tell him something about what we have achieved. The Lord Mayor had a look inside the chimney and also seemed keen to try and climb it! A press release about the award can be read here. Amongst some of the publicity we received we were also featured in the Autumn edition of Bristol News; the Nature in the City Newsletter and in Avon Frome Bulletin No 1 |
 Susan and Rob were very pleased and honoured to be be invited to Leeds to received the flag on behalf of Friends of Troopers Hill.
We were joined at the ceremony by Phil Williamson from Bristol Parks who is also Green Flag judge (though he is not allowed to judge sites in Bristol!) and Gordon Millward who is responsible for management of the Downs.
Phil worked very hard in the early part of the year to update our Management Plan and was also involved in the work that was carried out on the hill prior to the judging.
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 Some of the staff from Bristol Parks visited the hill on 19 Dec 2007 as part of their staff conference. Friends of Troopers Hill were on hand together with John, Sally and Julian from BCS to talk about the hill, the Green Flag Award and the work of the group.
We were very pleased to be able to show of 'our' hill to some of those who work behind the scenes or elsewhere in the city. Everyone we have met at Bristol Parks has always been very helpful and keen to do everything they can to make Troopers Hill and other parks and green spaces in Bristol something of which the city can be really proud.
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