2024

Broad Meadow 2024 launched on Fri 24 May 2024 as part of Mayfest Bristol and continued until 20 June 24. It was open daily 11am - 6pm.

Stewards were available on site to welcome and invite visitors to take a seat and supported them to listen to the audio work.

The wildflower installation consisted of 55 colourful wildflower plant boxes brimming with bees, beetles and other insects. There was a path leading through the installation and benches and stools for audiences to sit down and experience the wildflowers with all the senses. Audiences were invited to listen to an audio work about our human connection and relationship with the natural world.

Audience Feedback

  • "[...] what you created is very special, and everyone I spoke to who had experienced it thought it was beautiful.”

    Matthew Austin, Co-Director MAYK (Mayfest)

  • “I loved it so much! Congrats, it's beautiful.”

    Clare Reddington, CEO Watershed, Bristol

  • “Broad Meadow was a fantastic addition to Broadmead this spring and we are very pleased to have kept some of the planters, so it has left a legacy here in the city centre."

    Vivienne Kennedy, Director of Broadmead BID

  • “Very lovely - feeling blissed out. Also thought-provoking imagining Broad Meadow in the past and microorganisms. Loved smelling the plants and wandering around."

    Audience member

  • "Inspires me to think of ways to re-wild in my community. Makes me want to smash the concrete.”

    Audience member

  • “Fantastic idea - the storytelling of the old meadows and the history of the area was entrailing, it made me think about my smallness in the plan of life."

    Audience member

for web Volunteer Day credit Charli Clark.jpg
for web Volunteer day 2 Credit Charli Clark.jpg
for web Engagement day 3 credit Charli Clark.jpg
for web Engagement day 2 Credit Charli Clark.jpg
for web Engagement day 1 Credit Sylvia Rimat.jpg
for web Broad Meadow workshop pic2 credit Sylvia Rimat.jpg
for web Broad Meadow workshop pic1 credit- Sylvia Rimat.jpg

Photos by Charli Clark and Sylvia Rimat

The installation and audio experience was accompanied by three days of free family fun activities for ages 3-10 with creative, nature inspired arts and crafts activities on site and one additional family fun day in Knowle West during summer half term.

The installation’s 55 wildflower boxes had been planted in workshops with secondary school students across Bristol (mainstream and SEND) and with community groups. After the project ended, the boxes were distributed to Bristol schools and communities and continue to thrive as mini meadows. A Creative Learning Toolkit was developed for the communities with instructions how to look after their wildflower plant boxes all year round and with playful and creative ideas to interact with the wildflowers in the boxes.

“It was fantastic [...] The students were so engaged and loads of them told me how fun it was. The teachers were clearly very impressed as well with the calm and purposeful atmosphere.”
— Jessica Lanham-Cook, Lead Delivery Officer, Young Careers and Pathways Team, Bristol WORKS

With special thanks to Joe Cook, Stephen and Carol Clark, Christian Young, Joe Roberts, Andrew Hopkins, Darren Perkins, Matt Kidner, Tony Webb, Louise Lightfoot, Camille Robineau, Peter Insole, Lisa and Mike Williams, Susan Howlett and Flight Logistics Ltd, and Centrespace.

Broad Meadow 2024 was supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery Players and Broadmead BID. Further support from Frances and Matthew Lindsey-Clark, Pervasive Media Studio, Mayfest, Ashton Scaffolding Services Ltd, Bristol WORKS and Residence.

Broadmeadow 2024 was supported by: