In photos / Environment
In photos: Bristol’s climate news – May 2025
May’s the month to get wild, it seems…
With hot days, thoughts of a cool off in the river turned quickly to the risk of illness a dip represents, and protesters took to the water to call for action on sewage pollution.
Communities broke ground and sowed seeds on new growing projects, Disabled people made climate action plans and the city’s recycling capacity increased with the opening of a new facility that has been years in the making. Plus lots more.
is needed now More than ever
Campaigners from Bristol Friends of the Earth and the Bristol Rainforest highlighted threats to overseas forests when they launched Friends of the Earth’s Planet over Profit campaign on Brandon Hill. The campaign aims to protect forests at threat from the global supply chains of UK companies – photo: Bristol Friends of the Earth
Paddlers took to the water in the harbour on May 17 to call for an end to water course pollution, as part of a day of action organised by Surfers Against Sewage – photo: Phil Williams
The event started with talks from local campaigners, including Meg Avon nee Trump who is part of the Conham Bathing campaign group and made headlines when she married the river Avon – photo: Phil Williams
Following the protest, the government announced 80 criminal investigations into water companies related to their sewage dumping, after Environment Agency spot checks revealed widespread law-breaking – photo: Phil Williams
People from Barton Hill came together for a community picnic and nature activities to launch the Postcode Gardener initiative which will see new green spaces created for people and wildlife – photo: Harriet Wylie
Work has already begun on a community orchard at the Wellspring Settlement and gardening sessions and foraging walks are planned. Barton Hill was one of 1,000 nature-deprived areas across the country chosen to take part in the initiative by Friends of the Earth and the Cooperative Bank – photo: Harriet Wylie
On May 23 key partners from the voluntary, funding and finance sectors attended a launch event for Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership’s community prospectus, exploring the benefits of investing in community-led climate action – photo: ShamPhat Photography
Sparks, the alternative department store in Broadmead that promotes re- and up-cycling, energy awareness, environmental care and social justice, turned two and celebrated with a weekend of nature and craft activities – photo: @eyekerslake
OCU Group, employed by National Grid to lay a new electricity cable through Lockleaze Sports Centre fields, restored the damage done by helping sow 650m² of wildflower meadow which complements an orchard, pond and wetland area as part of the Really Wild Lockleaze project – photo: Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust
On 21 May at an Intention to Action Clinic as part of the Climate Action Programme, participants learnt how to engage suppliers to help reduce workplace carbon emissions – photo: Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership
The CIC collect food waste from households which they turn into nutrient-rich organic compost and deliver back to the doorstep. So far they have saved over 20,000kgs of food scraps from landfill – photo: Generation Soil
The CIC collect food waste from households which they turn into nutrient-rich organic compost and deliver back to the doorstep. So far they have saved over 20,000kgs of food scraps from landfill – photo: Generation Soil
Climate and Disability roundtable decision-makers and Disabled people’s organisations came together this month to progress the Disabled people’s community climate action plan – photo: Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership
Bristol Waste celebrated the opening of a new recycling processing facility in Avonmouth which will increase the city’s recycling capacity as well as reducing the company’s carbon footprint due to trucks in north Bristol having fewer miles to travel to deliver materials – photo: Bristol Waste
Main image: Phil Williams
Read next:
- Bristol Waste celebrates opening of new £5m recycling facility
- Images of planned north Bristol cycling hub released
- ‘Ambitious plans to actually improve public transport in Bristol are usually met with derision’
- Nature Rising film celebrates Global Majority leadership in Bristol
- ‘Key to getting the bus service Bristol needs is improving transport infrastructure’
- Nature initiative to ‘breathe life’ back into east Bristol community
- Surfers sick of sewage hold paddle-out protest to demand change
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