Author: Jane Edwards

Yet another tree hit by high winds!

I am afraid we have lost several other trees in the recent high winds. One came down very close to the Lodge, luckily it appears it didn’t cause any damage.

both trees were quite large but have now been cut into manageable pieces. It is hard to tell if any grave stones have been damaged by the tree shown but we will certainly have to re-site our section marker!

It is a sad fact that many of the trees in the cemetery are  over 120 years old, and so reaching the end of their lives (Not all trees live as long as Oaks). They are regularly tested for the strength of their trunks but in both these cases it was the sodden earth that failed to hold on to the weight of the tree above- an issue that can’t be tested for!

Interesting addition to a tree!!

This may look as if someone has just wedged a rake into this tree and gone off for their cup of tea…..

The truth is a little stranger. This rake was undoubtedly propped here many years ago by a member of staff but for whatever reason it was never retrieved. It is in a not often visited area of the Cemetery and over many seasons the tree grew, absorbing the rake within its growth! The wooden stale has long ago rotted away. Recently Birmingham Trees for Life published a similar item but instead of a rake it was……a bike. Check it out on their site.

 

2020 Litter Pick Dates

Please note these dates in your diary. The Friends will be in Brandwood End at 10am till 11.30am on each day with bags and litter pickers and we hope some of you will join us to help keep Brandwood End looking spic and span.

Sat 7th March,

Sunday 7th June,

Sat 5th September,

Sun 6th December.

Meet outside the Lodge on the main drive. Our March event will be part of the national Keep Britain Tidy campaign.

Recent storm damage could have been worse!

Locally in Kings Heath there was a fair amount of damage caused by the recent storm, so it was with some trepidation that Ground Staff in the cemetery made their Monday morning site inspection.

Lots of small branches littering the site were removed, but the larger tree shown above will take a little more time! Luckily it is in an area away from roads and pathways but until it is removed it is difficult to see if grave stones have been damaged.

Polish War Graves remembered

Just prior to Remembrance Sunday, the Friends placed Polish flags on 2 adjacent War Graves in Brandwood End. We were especially pleased to tell members that the flags had come all the way from Poland , brought back for us by a Polish National.

You can imagine how heartened we were when we visited those graves earlier this week and found that both now had ribbons encircling them.

We would love to get in touch with the Polish community and those involved in this act of Remembrance. If anyone knows who we can contact, please can you e mail us on friendsofbec@gmail.com