A few years ago, the Badock's Wood valley and the land that once was Bowness Gardens was a mess. Not only was it poorly maintained, but it was being actively vandalised, especially by car thieves and motorbike thieves, who caused many fires using abandoned stolen vehicles. In June 2000, therefore, a local resident, the late Salim Allibhai, organised a meeting, called in a multitude of local agencies, including the City Council, the Police and the relatively recently formed Friends of Badoock's Wood. This meeting started a process of renewal, both of the Woods themselves and of the Friends and by the time of Salim's death, in 2004, the situation in the woods had completely changed. Since that time, the Friends have been closely involved in working with the City Council in producing and implementing management plans for the area, undertaking volunteer work, acquiring grant aid and holding events.

In 2019, the FOBW Secretary gave a presentation covering the first 21 years of our history. A PDF copy of this may be downloaded from here.

The Friends now meet regularly, at least twice a year, in the Greenway Centre to discuss plans and organise events. If you wish to join in, contribute in any other way or simply be kept informed of our work, please contact the Secretary. Contact details may be found on this page.

Site last updated July 2023