Welcome to St Andrews Park

Welcome to St Andrews Park, a cherished green space in the heart of Bishopston, Bristol. This Victorian park has been delighting visitors for over 125 years with its beautiful trees, open spaces, and community facilities. From the popular children's paddling pool and playground to the tennis courts and bowling green, there's something here for everyone. Join us in preserving and enhancing this vital community asset for future generations.

About Us

The Friends of St Andrew's Park are group of people who love our beautiful Park and want to actively help in its protection, enhancement and greater biodiversity.

Since it was created in 1895, St Andrew's Park has seen many changes, both in what it offers and the community it serves. It is one of the most intensively used parks in Bristol and provides an invaluable haven for both local people of all ages, as well as a range of popular attractions for the wider community, including: a well-equipped children's play area, Summer paddling pool, cafe, gently rolling landscape with wonderful variety of trees, wildlife pond, perennial flower meadow and beds, community food garden, Park information boards, Wellington Bomber memorial, and public toilets.

How to get involved

The Friends of St Andrew's Park work closely with Bristol city council to help maintain and improve our wonderful Park. Listed below are the on-going projects which FoSAP is currently responsible for looking after, and where volunteers play a key role:

Join Our Volunteers

We are delighted to welcome new volunteers to help with each of these important on-going projects. You don't need to have any particular expertise, and it is very much up to you whether or not you are available for the sessions which are planned.

Each project has a co-ordinator who organises, and is responsible for, the sessions described below. If you are interested in one or more of them, email us at fosapsecretary@gmail.com and you will be added to the list, and contacted by the coordinator in advance of sessions taking place.

Please contact us if you fancy volunteering to help look after our beautiful Park—you'll find it is VERY enjoyable and VERY rewarding ,sharing the experience with other local people, learning new skills, and connecting with nature.

St Andrews Park

The Pond and Wildlife area

Co-ordinator: Jo

Location: Between the Bowling Club and Effingham Rd

There is work to do throughout the year, but particularly in the Autumn and early Winter, cutting back vegetation in the Pond and raking cut material from the adjacent Wildflower Meadow.

The Perennial Beds

Co-ordinator: Karen

Location: Along the dog-free area fence, up from the cafe area

Known affectionately as "Angela's beds", there is work to do throughout the year, and sessions tend to be every 4-6 weeks, tidying/deadheading/cutting back etc. More extensive clearance takes place in the Winter months, prior to the beds being mulched by the council, ready for the Spring growth.

"The Pod" Community Food Garden

Co-ordinators: Penny and Helen

Location: Lower corner of the dog-free area

This is the one area of volunteer work where there are regular sessions throughout the year, with the work in the garden very much reflecting the seasons. The one hour sessions are:

2nd Tuesday in each month, at 2.00 pm

Last Saturday in each month at 10.00 am

The Wildflower Meadow

Co-ordinator: Steve

Location: Running parallel to Leopold Rd

The main area of work here occurs in the Autumn, when the Meadow is cut, and it is important to encourage future wildflower growth by raking off as much of the cut material as possible. Some selective re-seeding can also take place later in the Winter.

The Wellington Bomber Memorial

Co-ordinator: Jenny

Location: Adjacent to Sommerville Rd

The work here mainly involves keeping the stone clean, and keeping the adjacent planting tidy, with occasional replacements/additions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Friends of St Andrew's Park.

Usually between June and September each year

The PDF document can be downloaded here: Tree Trail Guide

The cafe is open most weekends and bank holidays. Along with most days during the school holidays.

It's free to park around the park, although on busy days it can be difficult to find a space.

Contact

Get in touch with the Friends. Whether you want to join us, share ideas, or simply learn more about our activities, we'd love to hear from you. As a community-led group, we value every connection with park users and local residents.

Address

Effingham Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS6 5AX