Community Nature Reserve

Register your space to help build the Community Nature Reserve

Share your tips and experiences to inspire others.

Connect with like-minded people.

Learn new ways to enhance your space.

Your space can be a garden, allotment or even just a window box – all are welcome.

We now have a Facebook group!

Join the Facebook group to see news and updates, connect with other members and get more out of your community network.

How to register

Complete the online form or download and print the form (link below) and return it to us by email, post or in-person.

Visit us in Town Hall, High Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2AR (during office hours). Hard copies will also be available at the library and Thornbury Town Hall reception.

As we move into the new year a casual glance at the garden may make you think there is little going on, and indeed many plants and animals are hunkering down for these coldest of months.

There are, however, still things to see and do in the wildlife-friendly garden in January. Cold snaps may bring northern migrants such as fieldfare and redwing to your garden, especially if you have a feast of berries available to them from your earlier planting.

The numbers of more common garden birds such as blackbirds and starlings are also boosted at this time of year by migrants from Scandinavia and Russia, whilst warmer winters mean those who once flew south, such as blackcaps, can be sometimes spotted year-round.

Providing birds with some supplementary feed and making sure there is fresh water can be helpful, especially when the ground is frozen. Just remember to keep your feeders clean to prevent the spread of disease.

Overwintering insects can also provide food for hungry birds, with log piles, leaf letter, and dead stems and flowers all providing shelter for the garden’s tiniest inhabitants. Encouraging insects to overwinter by leaving wood, leaves and dead flowers and stems in your garden also sets you up for having a thriving, buzzing space in the spring.

On mild days you may be surprised to see the odd pollinator out searching for a meal. Planting early flowerers such as snowdrops not only offers a welcome splash of colour during the darkest months but can provide a much-needed meal for early-emerging pollinators too.

This is a month to take stock, enjoy crisp, blue days if we are blessed with them, and look forward to a fruitful, bountiful year ahead in the wildlife-friendly garden.