Birmingham’s Parks, Burial Grounds and open spaces rely on the voluntary sector and the people of Birmingham to supply thousands of hours of work, at a saving of hundreds of thousands of pounds. If volunteers didnt carry out this work it is unlikely that existing staff would have the capacity to maintain the existing standards. Well done to everyone !

REMINDER- Don’t get caught out.  Opening times change from the 1st October.

Always check the City Council web site as times could change at short notice.

Brandwood End cemetery | Birmingham City Council

This time change is normal for the Winter period in Brandwood End as the nights draw in and the clocks  soon go back.

 

 

Opening times: 

1st October-31st March         8.30am till 4 pm

1st April – 30th September    8.30am till 7 pm

 

During our Heritage Open week we were lucky enough to persuade Gerald Griffin,  a practiced photographer, to offer some tips to a group of novices as they tried to capture the feeling within Brandwood End Cemetery. He has kindly put this short slide show together to share the results. I think it is fair to say that they capture the beauty of stone and nature within the 53 acre site. Gerald was also new to cemetery photography, as he confided that his normal field was wildlife and travel.  We feel pretty sure he also enjoyed the different subject !

 

As FBEC volunteers we have now had a chance to reflect on the success of our Heritage week. It was undoubtedly hard work but we had marvellous supporters and volunteers. Our thanks to Ranger Dean Paul, All our Rock Painters, Georgina from Caring for Gods Acre, Gerald Griffin, Doug Smith, Pat Franklin,  Tony, Dawn, Andrea and Irene de Boo (Who provided our inspiration) and all our volunteers who helped set up and break down our displays.

 

Will we do it again next year ?…..well probably not in the same format but certainly as a collection of events during Heritage Open Week.  Maybe one day we will be able to have our displays permanently set up in the Lodge and just open the door now and then !

Our sincere thanks to all the members of the public that supported us, all the volunteers who undertook lots of physical work and the Councillors who gave their time to support us, and of course our committee.

                                       

We must thank Councillor John Cotton for not just visiting our Heritage event, but for spending  significant quality time investigating the cemetery and our displays as this is a new area for him. He also enjoyed Doug’s talk and managed to spot one of our painted stones!  Councillor Cotton has recently been appointed as Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities. Bereavement Services fall within this remit so we were especially pleased to see him.

Councillor Julien Pritchard also came along to offer his support and so did our usual ‘frequent volunteer’ Councillor Mike Leddy. Both Julien and Mike are frequent visitors to Brandwood End and we thank them for their continued support.

Thanks again to followers of Kings Heath Rocks and Rainbows for their beautiful stones that were admired by all the visitors to our Heritage Open.

As expected, the closing time for the cemetery will change on the 1st October as the evenings draw in.

FBEC. HERITAGE WALK 2021

At last the culmination of our Heritage Open Week.  Members of the committee of the Friends will be at the Lodge on the main drive between 11am and 2pm with displays of historical research and a talk by local historian, Doug Smith to give everyone a chance to sit down ! (This will probably be outside but under cover).

Tea, coffee and cake will be available.  Most of the event will be outdoors but we will be asking the public to wear masks in the Lodge when viewing displays, as it is a confined space

We will also be providing a self led walk on site,  to point out some of the history of the cemetery and points of interest. If you can’t make it today then the link above will remain on our site so you can download it and complete it at your leisure.