We are holding our quarterly LITTER PICK on this coming Saturday the 6th September. On a fine day there is nothing nicer than strolling around the cemetery and listening to the birds singing and spotting the wild life. Meet at the Lodge at 10am. We have the litter pickers and the bags….all we need is the man power. Stout footwear and gloves are recommended and under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult.
Today we were pleased to welcome five Deutsche Bank staff to the cemetery to continue the clearance of section B10 that their colleagues, and our Grave Gardeners, had begun this summer.
Despite really heavy rain for half an hour they were able to clear an amazing amount of shrubbery and expose another 8+graves that have been hidden for many years. Well done everyone.
This section is one of the older areas and has been neglected for some time but recent work by our Grave Gardeners and Deutsche Bank staff has meant that we have now made serious inroads. Well done to you all as I think you will agree the result is stunning.
If you would like to see more of the action today you can follow this link.
Our special thank you goes to one of our Patrons, Dr Carl Chinn, who has stepped up to the plate and supported our events in the last few years. His enthusiasm is always infectious and we all enjoy his visits.
As many of you know, this is FBEC’s 20th year but we share our anniversary with another organisation. Birmingham Open Spaces Forum (BOSF) were also formed 20 years ago and have created a strong alliance for Friends groups in parks and open spaces in the City. They provide support in many areas from grant application to first aid training, event organisation and risk assessment.
They came up with a brilliant way to link some of their sites across the City together by passing a crafted ‘baton’ from site to site….on foot! Luckily they had a volunteer in Professor Christopher Millward who undertook all the running/walking!
Brandwood End Cemetery were at the end of the route, which has taken several weekends before finally making it to Cotteridge Park and the finish line!!
The Friends were joined by Chris, our Patron Dr Carl Chinn, Professor Paul Cadman, their support team and of course, some of our volunteers.
What a wonderful morning we all had and our thanks to our ‘tree water team’!! A chance to recognise the work of volunteers in the City in all our parks and green spaces.
Lest we forget. Read more
We seem to have had a busy month doing lots of routine things in the cemetery. We have had our usual Grave Gardeners who come in every month and help clear graves. Sue and Ray, our Civilian Garden champions, are overjoyed as the Hedge has now been deemed free of nesting birds and brought back under control.
Two of our larger trees have shed branches, probably as a result of the drought, so the Tree Surgeons have remained as regular visitors. Our new trees and flower tubs have flourished, but only because our volunteers have watered (almost daily) during the hot weather.
Our Facebook followers have leapt in to photograph graves and never cease to amaze us with their historical Knowledge and their willingness to share their research. A special thank you to Matt Felkin. who runs his own WW1 Facebook page but still finds time to share information to our page and answer queries from contributors. His knowledge of BARRA information is extensive.
Our followers on Facebook, who have Ancestry accounts or access to historic newspapers, have filled in background and helped us identify a number of Military and Civilian graves that we had no records of previously. (The Corporate and Gardening groups have uncovered the graves from the shrubbery and then another volunteer team have photographed and recorded them )
Without our volunteers and supporters we would not be able to achieve as much as we have in the cemetery and we hope you will agree that things have slowly improved over the last 20 years that FBEC have been about. Special mention to Bereavement Service Ground staff who go above and beyond.
This Sunday 3rd August we will have a gardening session in the cemetery helping to clear graves and low level shrubbery. We meet at the Lodge on the main drive at 11am and work till 1pm (or for as long as you want.)
Its a great chance to keep fit in the fresh air and enjoy company, as well as helping to keep this 53 acre site as tidy as manpower allows. (Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult)
We have the tools but rely on volunteer labour. Please bring your own kneeler and/or gloves. We do have some gloves available.
Can we just remind followers and visitors to the cemetery that you may notice that the hedge surrounding the Civilian Garden looks ‘wild’ at this time of year. Under DEFRA regulations we are not allowed to cut it as it harbours small nesting birds at this time of year. Please be patient and early September it will receive a hard cut back.
Thank you for your patience.
The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery have joined with a number of local voluntary groups and businesses to work together to promote the Brandwood area as a whole. This includes promoting and supporting each others events and encouraging people to shop local and visit local attractions.
The events listed below are all happening in the Brandwood area, including the cemetery. Why not pop along to any of them to enjoy Brandwood. Together we are ‘Brandwood Buzz’
