Who are we?

The Gordano Civic Society is a group of people with an interest in the history, conservation and environment in the Gordano area. We are affiliated to, or registered with:

Avon Local History & Archaeology

British Association for Local History

We also have close connections with other similar groups within the area. We are non-party political. We have experienced members who advise on history, wildlife, planning and the environment. Therefore we are often able to give valuable opinion on many aspects concerning the Gordano area. We have been instrumental in promoting the acceptance of ‘Conservation Areas’ within Portishead and the Gordano Valley.

Change of name

The insertion of the word ‘Civic’ into our title occurred in early 2016, our 60th anniversary year.

The previous title of ‘Gordano Society’ was well known within the town, but beyond our boundary was fairly neutral insofar as being unaligned to any one direction of interest or pursuit.

‘Civic’ by definition relates to the individual’s relationship to place, community. The Society is concerned with this relationship and to the betterment of the town of Portishead. This may be reflected in the restoration of items of heritage, the marking of a particular event or person(s), the improvement of the environment especially through the planning process, our engagement with the historic past, etc.

By renaming the Society as the ‘Gordano Civic Society’, it will hopefully give the Society a more purposeful title and encourage more participation from members of the community in their engagement with the place where we live. After all, do we not wish to make the place where we all live more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive and to promote the civic pride that we should hopefully all have?

How did we start ?

The Society was founded in 1956 as ‘The Portishead Preservation Society’ by like-minded people who were concerned at the time with the destruction of some of our historic buildings and their replacement by unsympathetic constructions, all in the name of planning. Since then our scope has widened to incorporate all manner of environmental matters and historical research within the whole of the Gordano area.

Projects

The Society raises funds for various projects in the town. Details >>

Civic Awards

The Society now presents a Civic Award annually to projects which

have enhanced the local environment. Details >>

Officers and Committee

 

Our Library

We have a library of books and DVDs which are available for members to borrow at our meetings.

Website

Our original website was launched in November 2004 and was re-launched with the current design in April 2016.