Such a shame that very little information seemed to have been circulated about Armed Forces Day.
The usual larger events had obviously been cancelled due to Covid restrictions, but it appears that much of the press also failed to highlight the day- which fell yesterday the 26th June. Lets hope that 2022 will see it more widely in the spot light.
If you follow this link to the Royal British Legion site you will find some interesting and entertaining information.
Volunteers enjoyed the sunshine this time as they recorded memorial inscriptions as part of this ongoing project with ‘Caring for God’s Acre’. The last session took part in pouring rain! Next session July 7th and its not too late to register- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/154691517493
As our followers may remember, a couple of years ago we joined with Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust to undertake a project to survey the cemetery for Hedgehogs and increase suitable habitat, both in the cemetery and the surrounding gardens. We also organised the installation of a ‘Hedgehog information board’ on the main drive.
We are pleased to announce that we are hoping to work with a local Hedgehog rescue to continue our work to encourage Hedgehogs to visit the cemetery and the local green spaces at Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve and Brandwood Pool. Watch this space !
Forward notice that the Friends will be holding a Heritage Open Event in the Cemetery (Covid allowing!) Our main event will be on Sunday the 19th September between 1100hrs and 1400hrs but we hope to offer a number of trails/walks/talks throughout the preceding week. Watch this site and our ‘facebook’ site for updates.
Todays litter pick was something of a wet affair as the heavens not only opened, but stayed open for the duration!
Our thanks to the 15 stalwarts (plus 2 children) that turned out and collected 15 bags of litter- The cemetery is a better place for your efforts. This litter pick fell within ‘Great Spring Clean’ week, a campaign started by Keep Britain Tidy. I think supporters of FBEC certainly did their bit in adverse conditions. Annoyingly the sun appeared later in the day!
The Friends will be participating in this national Litter Pick on June 6th. The Great British Spring Clean is an initiative driven by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
FBEC – LITTER PICK NATIONAL 2021 (1)
JOIN THE FRIENDS OF BRANDWOOD END CEMETERY AT
THEIR QUARTERLY LITTER PICK.
SUNDAY 6TH JUNE 10AM-11.30AM.
Please bring your own ‘litter pickers’ if possible, but we do have
spare litter pickers available. We advise wearing stout footwear
and gloves. Children are welcome but they must be
accompanied by an adult. Please make sure you adhere to
Covid distancing regulations
An organisation called Caring for God’s Acre work nationally to record, investigate, care for, and enjoy burial grounds and graveyards. Over the last year Gods Acre have been steadily GPS and geo physically mapping the whole of Brandwood End cemetery so they now have a map of blue squares, each one representing a grave.
‘Gods Acre’ are working together with the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery and are now aiming to recruit a team of volunteers to record the information on each memorial, for transfer to the digitized map. This recording all happens in the cemetery and with a pencil on paper- so no tech requirements ! Its both rewarding and interesting.
They will be running a number of covid safe (limited number) sessions but 3 are already available for booking in June, July and August. We would love to welcome some more of our members/supporters to this project. Space is free but limited, so why not book yours at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/154691517493
Please note– you must book direct via the link, as we are not able to take bookings due to restrictions on numbers. we hope to meet some of you there.
Changes to crematoria and cemeteries
Published: Thursday, 13th May 2021
As of Monday 17 May, in line with the government’s road map, changes are being made to the rules governing crematoria and cemeteries.
There will be no limit for outdoor funerals and up to 30 people can now attend a wake or other commemorative event. However, services in chapels will continue to be limited due to social distancing measures.
Councillor Sharon Thompson, Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, said “I welcome the increase in the number of people being able to attend funerals at our crematoria and funerals outside can now go ahead without limits on the number of people attending. This will make it much better for grieving families and those wanting to attend a funeral service. Our priority has always been to maintain the dignity of those who have sadly passed away and to support their loved ones in holding a funeral that meets their cultural, religious and general desires. This has been incredibly difficult during the pandemic as we have also had to minimise the likelihood of Covid spreading within the city. However, I am pleased we are now able to lift the restrictions as the country moves back towards some form of normality.
The only service yet to be re-instated is the practice of grave backfilling by the funeral attenders. We will keep these changes under review but hope to relax any outstanding restrictions by 21 June in line with the government’s road map.”
For full details please see our webpage at https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cemeteries