Help Tom Jones Save Bristol Zoo Gardens - Phase 2!

*BRISTOL ZOO HAS NOT BEEN SOLD - THERE ARE STILL ANIMALS ON SITE - LENGTHY LEGAL DELAYS ARE ONGOING - IT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE - PLEASE DONATE NOW TO HELP THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE BRISTOL ZOO GARDENS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS!*

Here are 3 ways you can help make that happen:

1. Come to the Lantern Hall, Bristol Beacon on

Tuesday 29th April, 7.30pm for a SBZG special campaign event.

See the first presentation of our fully costed plan for a NEW

Bristol Zoo Gardens. Hear from special guests, including ex-

Bristol Zoo staff who will speak publicly for the first time.

2. SIGN OUR NEW PETITION HERE!

3. Donate to the SBZG Campaign RIGHT HERE on this page!

Watch the video to find out more...

“No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced”. Sir David Attenborough.

 

* Taking the Zoo out of the heart of Bristol can only mean that in the future, far fewer people from Bristol will have the chance to experience amazing exotic and endangered wildlife and consequently, will not want to protect it. *  SINCE BRISTOL ZOO CLOSED, BRISTOL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY HAS LOST OVER HALF A MILLION ANNUAL VISITORS.

Who?

 

My name is Tom Jones, I am from Bristol and I have spent the past three years of my life, trying to save Bristol Zoological Gardens for the community and people of Bristol. In that time, I have sacrificed a lot and have spent thousands of hours of my life working on this issue.

Me & my little boy Wilf at Bristol Zoo just before it closed

 

What?

One and a half years ago, I raised money on go fund me to help me develop an alternative plan for Bristol Zoo Gardens. The production of that plan was delayed because shortly after I launched the crowd fund, I was diagnosed with cancer and spent much of last year recovering from surgery, as well as having chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

However, phase 1 of the plan IS now ready and will be presented at a SBZG Special Campaign Event on Tuesday 29th April, 7.30pm in the Lantern Hall at Bristol Beacon. It will then be published on the SBZG website.

I am NOW trying to raise (up to) £50,000 to:

1. Develop phase 2 of the alternative plan with industry experts. Phase 2 will be more detailed, with a sustainable travel plan and expert legal input into the parking situation.

2. Pay for the hire of Lantern Hall at Bristol Beacon for the SBZG Special Campaign Event.

3. Pay for the printing and delivery of the tens of thousands of ‘Dear Bristol’ leaflets currently being circulated around Bristol, advertising the SBZG Special Campaign Event, petition and this fundraiser.

4. Pay for the substantial legal fees incurred in complaints being submitted to the Charity Commission about Bristol Zoological Society, including question marks over trustee decision making and whether Bristol Zoological Society even has the legal right to sell Bristol Zoo Gardens for housing.

5. Funding the continuation of my work, fighting to save Bristol Zoo Gardens for the people of Bristol, by project managing all of the above work and lots more!

The famous grand terrace of Bristol Zoo Gardens

 

Why?

 

Bristol Zoo is the world’s 5th oldest Zoo, comparable to Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain in terms of its cultural, heritage and historical value to Bristol. We cannot just let it become a luxury housing estate.

Would we just let the Suspension Bridge go?

It is now two and a half years since Bristol Zoo closed and it is now very clear that Bristol Zoological Society’s strategy to gamble everything and “bet the house” on Bristol Zoo Project at Cribbs Causeway (formerly Wild Place Project) has spectacularly failed.

Since Bristol Zoo’s closure:

The money that the Zoo's current leadership hope will be raised from the sale of Bristol Zoo, will not pay for much more than a new gorilla enclosure, drainage, a new entrance and a cafe. There is no evidence to suggest that Bristol Zoological Society will ever get back the half a million visitors it has lost.

Bristol Zoo's current leadership are paying for their extraordinarily expensive new gorilla enclosure with a £15m overdraft.

Contrary to the current Zoo leadership’s claims that they will go bust if they do not sell Bristol Zoo, all the evidence points to the fact that they will go bust if they do not REOPEN Bristol Zoo.

It’s a bit like Manchester United choosing to close Old Trafford to move their whole operation to their out of town training ground, and then wondering why far fewer people are coming to see their matches at an inferior site and location.

Would more people visit Manchester United if they closed Old Trafford and moved out of town to a far inferior site and location?

Bristol Zoological Society’s current leadership have chosen to close their core asset, everything the Society’s history and reputation was built on, the part of the organisation that was proven and had been succeeding for almost 200 years.

  

• The walled botanical gardens are a unique slice of paradise, almost two centuries of historic fabric and hallowed ground, woven into the heart of the city.

Laura Robertson's picture perfectly illustrates how Bristol Zoo is literally, part of the city

 

• Once Bristol Zoo Gardens is sold for private luxury housing, it is gone forever and never coming back.

 

The plan is for these gardens to become private housing with towering 4-6 storey flats on three sides of the perimeter

This is what the four story West Car Park development looks like. The development that the Zoo’s current leadership want to put up will be higher and even more overpowering

Why Now?

 

Donate today to help stop these fabulous gardens being sold for housing

 What Is The Money For?

A preview of phase 1 of the alternative plan that has already been developed (with Go Fund Me support) and will be presented in full at Bristol Beacon's Lantern Hall on Tuesday 29th April, 7.30pm

Donate today to save Bristol Zoo for future generations

 

Key Points – Why You Should Donate And Why This Is Important

The reasons Bristol Zoo's current leadership gave for closing Bristol Zoo were misleading - almost all Bristol Zoo animals moved to other Zoos, not the Wild Place.

The Full Story

Bristol Zoological Society's Current Leadership Has Failed And Must Step Aside

This photo - taken in April 2025 - demonstrates the extraordinary lack of respect Bristol Zoo's current leadership have for Bristol Zoo Gardens. Behind closed doors whilst they thought no one could see, they have turned our city's crown jewels into a tip

 Douglas Richardson – International Zoo expert says:

“I have never understood how individuals that have no experience in this very specific field are able, with confidence, to make decisions that dramatically impact the animals whose home is the zoo and the staff that have dedicated their lives and careers to the organisation. I believe that the decision to close Bristol Zoo can be reversed and this city can regain one of its misplaced jewels.”

 

It is quite clear that the current leadership’s strategy once they had decided to close, was to do a “hit-job” on their own incredibly strong and successful ‘Bristol Zoo’ brand, and try to spin all their subsequent public language to make everyone suddenly believe that their Zoo was a bad Zoo – trying to erase everything positive that had gone before in order to justify the shock announcement to close.

“Gaslighting” is the manipulation of someone into questioning their own perception of reality.

It can certainly be argued based on overwhelming underlying evidence (soon to be published in a 100-page report on the SBZG campaign website) that for the past four and a half years, Bristol Zoo’s current leadership have been perpetrating a form of gaslighting against anybody who previously believed Bristol Zoo to be a good Zoo and successful visitor attraction.

 

Bristol Zoo’s current leadership want to chop down 162 of their own trees

 

This is the Zoo's own tree removal plan - everything in pink will be chopped down

 

The Zoo's current leadership want to bulldoze this

Bristol Zoo's current leadership- want to knock this building down - some of which is less than 10 years old

This is what Bristol Zoo Project (formerly Wild Place) actually looks like

Asset stripping its own crown jewels

Acorn Property Group MUST Withdraw Their Bid To Turn Bristol Zoo Gardens Into Luxury Housing

There is precedent for Acorn withdrawing from projects when coming under public pressure, as it did in Frome in August 2024. It said:

“Acorn Property Group prides itself in working with local communities to provide much-needed regeneration through residential-led schemes. It has become abundantly clear that in this case, despite our best endeavours to work with all the stakeholders, the local community does not wish to work with Acorn and on that basis we have decided to withdraw from the process.”

Just before Acorn released this statement and pulled out of the proposed development, this is what Shane Collins - Green Councillor for Frome East Somerset Council - said at a Somerset Council Executive public meeting in August last year, regarding his serious concerns about Acorn.

"Publicly available accounts suggest that 19 Acorn companies have filed for insolvency in the last 20 years with a total deficiency of £43,427,355.00. Whilst a 'special purpose vehicle' SPV is often usual to set up for a housing development, a deficiency of over £43 million is unusual to say the least.

We do not know who is the 'ultimate controlling party' of RST Residential Investments Limited, who own Acorn and since the Highgate Trust, who appears to own the Acorn RST group of companies, is a Trust and therefore does not have to reveal ownership.

Although Trustpilot reviews are open to abuse, the 1 star reviews on Trustpilot reveal a litany of complaints and frustrations with unfinished works, ground works still being done when people have moved in, contractors not paid, and snagging jobs unfinished. Acorn have admitted to writing their own 5 star reviews."

Publicly available accounts suggest that the figure of 19 Acorn companies having filed for insolvency in the last 20 years with a total deficiency of over £43 million that Cllr Collins gave in August 2024, has now (as of April 2025) risen to 20 companies and a total deficiency of £53 million.

The latest example of this is in Cornwall in December last year, where the High Court has determined that RST Constantine Bay Homes Ltd - an offshoot of Acorn Property Group’s Cornwall developer, Acorn Blue - owe Cornwall Council £1.2 million. This was money that was earmarked for public open space, education and local affordable housing.

In October 2023 in the Vale of Glamorgan, another Acorn company - Bonvilston Vale Limited - went into administration owing a total of £12.6 million to 26 creditors and leaving behind a half-finished housing development.

Architects Landhouse Ltd, are taking Acorn to court for unpaid debts and breach of contract. They say:

"We made the mistake of trusting Acorn Property Group, and now we find ourselves in the extremely difficult situation, having to pursue payment through the courts. We urge others to exercise extreme caution when dealing with Acorn Property Group or any of their subsidiary companies, as their actions have demonstrated a lack of integrity and commitment to honouring their contractual obligations."

All of the above information gives extremely serious concern as to the integrity and probity of Acorn Property Group and the wisdom of selling to them, the world’s 5th oldest Zoo, a stunning botanical garden and one of Bristol’s crown jewels; an irreplaceable historical, cultural and heritage asset. It also raises very serious question marks about the judgement and decision making of Bristol Zoo's current leadership.

Bristol Zoo has been a special place for Bristolians for two centuries

 

Queueing round the block to get in

So much love for the site

 

One of the final gorilla talks

Standing room only!

 

One of the final seal talks

 

Links

To learn much more, visit the official campaign website here.

Please sign the CURRENT petition HERE, calling on the Zoo’s leadership to step down and Acorn Property Group to withdraw their bid to turn Bristol Zoo Gardens into luxury housing development.

This is the petition I started before the Zoo closed, which to date, has attracted well over 12,000 signatures:

Here is some previous press coverage:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-zoo-auctions-victorian-benches-9743987

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crk41k4v702o

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/12/its-an-act-of-greed-hundreds-protest-over-bristol-zoo-closure

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bristol-zoo-accused-of-misleading-public-over-garden-site-closure-22gx6kqsp

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-64719850

https://cliftonvoice.co.uk/2023/09/27/i-wont-give-up-on-dream-of-a-new-future-for-zoo-in-clifton/

 

 My Story

 

Bristol Zoo - in the DNA

 

History, heritage, tradition and experiences matter - they give our lives meaning

 

Having lived in Bristol for almost all my life, Bristol Zoo is part of my DNA. I began visiting with my parents before I can remember and up until September 2022 when the Zoo closed, I was still visiting with my 4-year-old son and my parents, now grandparents. I have heard stories like mine again and again in the past three years.

 

Bristol Zoo means something to different generations

This is not as some people like to suggest, just a Clifton issue, THIS IS ABOUT BRISTOL.

In May 2022, as myself and my 4-year-old son walked around the Zoo on one especially luminous day, I found myself appreciating how truly beautiful and precious the gardens are, what an unparalleled and historic site it is and reflecting on the unique significance of its place in Bristol’s heritage and culture, in the same bracket as Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain.

 

Me and my son at Bristol Zoo in the summer 2022, just before the Zoo closed

Would we want to lose these valuable Bristol institutions?

 

I then thought about the imminent closure and could not believe that where I was standing was destined to become someone’s multi-million-pound home.

 

Behind me was the stunning herbaceous border (pictured below) where for generations, families have scattered loved one’s ashes. Under the Zoo’s current leadership's plans, this will also be bulldozed to become luxury homes and private gardens.

Would families have scattered loved one's ashes here if they had thought one day it would be bulldozed?

 

Who on earth had signed off on these plans? Who was making these decisions to bulldoze herbaceous borders, chop down 162 magnificent trees and pour concrete on these stunning botanical gardens that belong to all of us?

 

Bristol Zoological Society 's current leadership wants to chop down 162 of its own trees

 

Up until that point, I like many others, had accepted the Zoo’s version of events, but having attended several residents’ consultations and spoken to a number of Zoo staff, I realised that a lot of things didn’t add up and I started to question the whole enterprise.

 

It is now over three years later and I have calculated that I have spent several thousand hours, voluntarily working to try to save Bristol Zoo for the community and people of Bristol. In that time, I have extensively researched the Zoo’s annual reports, accounts and strategic documents to try to understand the decision to close. I have had countless conversations with many staff from Bristol Zoological Society, directors from other zoos, conservationists, zoologists, trustees and shareholders. In the process I have extensively educated myself about the story behind the Zoo’s closure.

 

I have discovered there is a very different story to be told which I have detailed in a new 100-page report which will be published on or before 29th April on the SBZG website. A version of events that the Zoo’s current leadership would never want anyone to find out, a story that undermines and fundamentally challenges the current leadership's decision to close Bristol Zoo in the first place.

The cover of my extensively researched 100-page report about the closure of Bristol Zoo Gardens

 

A tiny minority of people with extraordinarily limited Zoological experience, took a highly subjective decision during a global pandemic at a time when it felt like the world had changed.

Bristol Zoological Society’s current CEO had never worked at a Zoo before taking over in 2018 and despite all of the above, he has received at least two pay rises since 2018, representing a personal pay increase of 62%.

The chair of trustees is a retired commercial property lawyer and the vice chair is a multi-millionaire merchant venturer with a professional background in construction.

 

Bristol Zoological Society's current CEO - an archaeologist - had never worked at a Zoo before he took over in 2018. He arrived from London and just over two years later, he was closing our Zoo.

 

It is this sense of deep injustice and the loss for so many of us and to the city more widely, that sustains my drive.

 

Anyone who has visited Bristol Zoological Gardens knows that it is a very special place for the people of Bristol – hallowed ground.

 

A safe space for young children

 

A friend of mine recently described to me how every time she would visit with her family, once she had shown her membership card and passed through the sliding doors out into the gardens, her shoulders would drop, she would exhale deeply and relax as she let her young children run ahead and free, knowing they were safe in this walled garden. This sanctuary, this haven in the middle of the city, has been lost to all of us.

 

A safe haven for all ages in the middle of a city

 

A special place through the seasons

Vision For The Future

 

A future where Bristol Zoo stays where it belongs, in Bristol. Reimagining what a Zoological Garden in the 21st Century can be. The opportunities are exciting, the possibilities endless. With financial support, rewriting the future is eminently possible.

A preview of phase 1 of the alternative plan that has already been developed (with Go Fund Me support) and will be presented in full at Bristol Beacon's Lantern Hall on Tuesday 29th April, 7.30pm

Tom Jones - Who Am I And What Are My Skills?

 

I am a parent of two young children, professional musician, campaigner, lifelong Bristolian and until it closed, member of Bristol Zoo. I have dedicated over three years of my life – several thousand hours - and sacrificed a lot to work towards Saving Bristol Zoo. To continue the fight and the campaign, I now need to raise more money to continue.

 

On this specific issue I have:

I also have: 

• Excellent creativity and imagination.

• First-rate people skills and a proven track record of building constructive relationships with others.

• 14 years of directing and bringing large groups of people together to achieve one collective purpose.

• 16 years of successfully running my own business.

• Excellent organisational and leadership skills, delivering successful musical projects throughout my career.

 

Recommendations

 

Doug Allan says:

 

“Tom’s capability, credibility, tenacity and leadership all came to the fore in his investigation and report about the closing of the Zoo in 2022. This next step of the campaign is going to need all those qualities again, as well as significant funding to make the case professionally. Tom’s appeal is our best chance to turn the tide. It’s worthy of all our support.”

 

Doug Allan, award-winning natural history photographer and documentary filmmaker who has worked on some of the BBC’s and Sir David Attenborough’s biggest shows including The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.

 

Why Should You Contribute?

 

• Your contribution to this funding proposal – however large or small - can help bend the arc of history back in a more meaningful direction for Bristol, Zoos and green spaces more widely. A trajectory which recognises a wider view of human existence than purely economics. Helping to fund this proposal, if successful, will contribute to your legacy, be something you can be proud of and which future generations will thank you for.

 

What You Need To Know Before Contributing

 

• This is a donation/contribution towards supporting my (Tom Jones) work for the Save Bristol Zoo Gardens Campaign.

• There is no guarantee of success.

• This is not an investment and there will be no financial return.

• Any money donated does not carry with it a tax advantage.

• The full amount of £50,000 does not need to be raised before work on this project begins.

• I am a registered sole trader acting as an independent project-management consultant.

• Money raised will go towards hiring Lantern Hall at Bristol Beacon, printing and delivering tens of thousands of leaflets advertising the campaign, associated campaign legal costs, phase 2 of the alternative plan and paying me to continue working and fighting to save Bristol Zoo.

www.savebristolzoogardens.org

https://www.change.org/p/new-leadership-of-bristol-zoo-acorn-property-group-withdraw-bid-to-build-luxury-housing

https://www.youtube.com/@SaveBristolZooGardens