What do to in a heatwave and cool spaces in Bristol
Preparing yourself for hot weather
You can sign up for weather warnings from the Met Office to know when there is likely to be a period of hot weather.
If you are looking after anyone who is vulnerable, you may also wish to sign up for the UK Health Security Agency Heat Health Alerts.
If you or someone else is feeling unwell because of the heat, get to a safe place to rest and aim to cool down and drink water.
Advice on how to recognise heat exhaustion and the symptoms of heatstroke can be found on GOV.UK. If someone is showing signs of heatstroke, call 999.
Access to free tap water
Any location that has a Refill Bristol sticker on the window will provide free tap water.
You can also find public water fountains on the Trail Tap website Go to https://trailtap.co.uk/ (opens new window).
You can also use the Refill Return app to find places to refill your water bottle.
Cool spaces
Bristol cool spaces are places where you can go to take a rest in the shade.
They all provide seating and are free to access and use. Many also provide free drinking water and accessible toilets.
They are not medical facilities but provide a welcoming place to spend time and cool down.
Most of these spaces do not have air conditioning. However, they should be cooler than outdoors and will provide a place to rest and be out of the sun and heat.
Many churches and faith spaces have seating and cool interiors and are free to access. Supermarkets and shopping centres often have air conditioning and shopping centres may also have seating. These locations also usually have public toilets.
Cool spaces are not a substitute for medical care if someone is feeling unwell from overheating. If you are looking after someone who is unwell, follow the advice from the UK Health Security Agency.
Cool spaces by ward
Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston
Brislington East
Central
Clifton and Clifton Down
Henbury and Brentry
Henleaze
Hillfields
Horfield
Hotwells and Harbourside
Knowle West
Redland
Shirehampton
St George
St Werburgh's
Whitchurch Park
Windmill Hill
If you have a space you would like to nominate as a cool space email sustainable.city@bristol.gov.uk.
How we are helping the city prepare for heatwaves and climate change
Our Keep Bristol Cool Mapping project has helped us identify parts of the city that may be especially vulnerable to heat. This work has been used to inform tree planting schemes and other interventions. We're continuing to work on making the city and residents better adapted to heat waves and hot weather.
Find out more about how we are helping Bristol adapt to climate change.