Month: July 2016

Sunny day for RHS visit

When we all got up to heavy rain this morning we wondered if the visit of the RHS Heart of England in Bloom judges to Brandwood End might be a wash out, but by lunch time the sun was shining and Brandwood End was looking at its best.

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Volunteers work within Brandwood End all year round doing all sorts of activities. Their work ranges from litter picks, gardening, historical research, environmental projects,  to carrying out surveys, attending meetings and making grant applications.  You probably don’t see us, but we hope you see the effect we have in the cemetery.

The Friends of Brandwood End work with Bereavement Services staff and horticultural contractors to try and improve the ‘visitor’ experience in the cemetery. You may be visiting the grave of a loved one, or walking through as a short cut, carrying out grave research or just enjoying the peace and quiet. Whatever your reason, we hope it creates a pleasant interlude in your day.

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Today we found a local family enjoying their snacks in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance. We are so glad to see people relaxing in this beautiful, peaceful area.

 

Congratulation to Kings Norton Cemetery on Green Flag Award!

You may not realise it, but the Ground staff you see at Brandwood End are also responsible for Kings Norton Cemetery.  Kings Norton Cemetery was entered into the Green Flag Awards again this year and was awarded Green Flag status yet again. Well done to all the staff for their ‘Green Flag’ efforts at Kings Norton but also their work at Brandwood End on a day to day basis.

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RHS Heart of England in Bloom-Judges visit due!

Gosh, such a frenzy of activity in the cemetery. We are sure the RHS and all our visitors will appreciate it! Gates mended, benches varnished, beds weeded, roses pruned, hedges cut, notice boards washed, section markers scrubbed, litter picked…….. but hey…..we actually do all of these things all the time- but not usually all at the same time. Well done to all our supporters and committee members for stepping up to the plate. Fingers crossed.IMG_0317 13775614_10153644742371791_1088155904869228560_n Can we invite anyone who is interested in the visit of the Judges to Brandwood End to pop along and join us. We will be meeting them at 3pm by the Lodge, on Wednesday 27th July.

Sarah has spent two weekends re varnishing our two benches- so why not come along and sit on them!

Birmingham Big Bus- World War 1 Tour

FBEC are not involved in the event below but the Birmingham Big Bus Tour staff join FBEC on Birmingham  Heritage Forum, so we are happy to point you in their direction.

This is the year when we remember the Battle of the Somme. Birmingham has a fascinating story to tell with its involvement in the First World War. Starting at the iconic Town Hall you will hear about Neville Chamberlain’s rousing inspirational speech and the massive recruiting parade in Victoria Square. On the route we will visit sites to learn about Zeppelins and Armaments; the Quakers and conscientious objectors; War hospitals taking over the University of Birmingham and Highbury Hall; the Hall of Memory built to commemorate the 12, 320 Birmingham citizens who died and the 35,000 who were wounded during the War; the massive involvement of the Jewellery Quarter and Cadbury’s; the women’s stories including the 15,000 migrant women working in the factories and the plight of the Belgian refugees.

Date: Sunday 24th July 2016

Time: 6pm

Meeting point: end of Colmore Row/corner of Waterloo Street, Victoria Square next to the Council House

Cost: Tickets £12 per person – please contact Sue by email at  enquiries@birmingham-tours.co.uk

Come and join the Big Bus Guides to commemorate Birmingham’s contribution to the First World War.

 

New Geranium display!

Our thanks to the Ground Staff from Bereavement Service Dept at BCC        who, finding they had more Geraniums than they needed, deployed them in a ‘new area’ adjacent to the old lodge garden.20160714_145401Keep an eye out to your right as you enter, almost opposite the entrance to their workshop area. Beautiful ! If you are wondering why they are not further out towards the path, the fear was that they might disrupt the track of the large grass cutter operating in that area meant that it was safer to inset them into the hedge area. We think they look rather lovely.

Preparing for RHS visit !

As I am sure we have mentioned before, The Friends have been accepted as entrants into Heart of England in Bloom and will get a judges visit towards the end of this month. Whilst we are not able to affect much of the horticulture or upkeep of the cemetery we feel sure that Bereavement Service staff will be supporting our efforts.

There are a few things we can do, so the hard work in those areas has begun. Our thanks to one of our committee members, Sarah, who has started washing down some of the rain/mud spattered Section Markers. What a difference a bit of ‘Fairy’ makes!!

13606766_10153614895011791_7217377950375550124_n13620319_10153614895081791_6171134702770141459_nBefore….and after !!

 

Our thanks also to Julia who has been popping in and out weeding under hedges and Barrie- who’s shears have been working overtime!  All of these jobs and many more are undertaken continually by volunteer members of FBEC and the community, and happen as if by magic…..but we are making just a little bit of extra effort for this, our first,  RHS entry!!

20150614_09565120150614_103412We hope you have noticed the difference we have made over the last 11 years and we thank all those that have offered their help.

The Friends offer lots of opportunities for members to take part in  projects that inspire them, be it gardening ,war graves, social history, or trees, birds and wildlife. We are always keen to involve anyone with a skill they would like to share. Please e mail us on  friendsofbec@gmail.com.

Can we make a special appeal for someone to be responsible for keeping a digital archive of our activities.  We know  most of our activities are recorded on our Facebook page and within this blog but we would like to have everything kept in one place, and free time restricts the existing committee members from taking this on. Please can you help?