Author: Jane Edwards

Friends of Camberwell Cemeteries struggle on with their campaign

You may think we have ‘issues’ with the City Council, Bereavements Department  in Birmingham but they pale into insignificance with those of the Friends of Camberwell Cemeteries in London.botanics-clay-day-010

Follow the links to find out what is happening there and the reuse of grave areas.

We must stress that, as far as we are aware, Birmingham has no plans to adopt this method of creating burial areas, and locally we are lucky that we have a fairly recently established Cemetery at Kings Norton, with a large amount of ground available there.

www.savesouthwarkwoods.org.uk/soldiers-graves-mounded-over

www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=1cLb1krd3Cc

Our thoughts are with The Friends of Camberwell Cemeteries and their allied struggle for Southwark Woods.

 

We need you !!

Many of you follow our web site or will have visited events at Brandwood End Cemetery recently- whether they were to do with Hedgehog preservation, WW1 Grave walks, tree walks, litter picks, celebrating our RHS award or Remembrance last weekend. Can we appeal to you to consider if you could spare a couple of hours a month to become a member of our committee, who are the driving force behind these activities which happen in the cemetery. Fresh members bring fresh ideas!20161020_144624

If you are not a ‘committee’ person you can always come along and see what happens at our meetings before making a decision. Please consider ‘joining’ the Friends  (for a very small membership fee) to receive our twice yearly newsletters and be part of our driving force to encourage Birmingham City Council to join us in a Heritage Lottery bid, to provide a future for our magnificent chapels.

Perhaps you are more of a practical person? We need help keeping our Civilian Garden and its hedges in order, making bird or bat boxes, keeping notice boards up to date, leading litter picks…..so much to do and at the moment….so few people ! You can help all of the time or as and when. Its up to you-

img_8415

Please contact us via this web site or our facebook page or, of course, you can e mail for more info on-   friendsofbec@gmail.com

Whether you are a planner, a campaigner, a ‘doer’ or an ideas person…..we need you! We can offer history, environment and community based projects. From trees to heritage,  hedgehogs to gardening, war graves to bats.

Even if you just help by following  us and sharing our posts on facebook or the web site, we need your support.

Our thanks to all of those who support our events, follow our web page and facebook page and make us feel all our work is worthwhile.   Jane Edwards (Chairman FBEC)

 

Remembrance Day record turnout.

Our thanks to everyone that turned out today to our Annual Remembrance Service in Brandwood End. This year saw close to 100 participants come to hear a short thought provoking address by Deacon David Fairbotham of St Dunstans Church prior to the laying of wreaths by Kings Heath and Selly Oak Royal British Legions, Local Councillors (on behalf of BCC), The Freemasons, The Royal Order of Buffaloes and the Friends.

img_8480

Yet again we must thank our magnificent buglers, Ludo and Oliver, for helping to create such a poignant atmosphere with their amazing rendition of the Last Post and Reveille. If they desert us for University next year they will be sadly missed!

 img_847615073358_10153937536906791_7273688181846117153_n15036525_10153937534956791_4149215710767072773_n

IMG_004220151108_135943img_8465-copy

‘Alabaster’ Grave.

As part of the CWGC ‘Living Memory’ project we agreed to highlight the grave of one Service Member who lost his life as a result of the actions at the Battle of the Somme. Our choice was Frederic Clifford Alabaster, and we were pleased to welcome one of his relatives, Wendy Alabaster, to the Remembrance Service.

img_8460 img_8488 img_8490 img_8482

Wendy also joined many people who took the time to view the information on display and visit ‘Clifford’s’ grave. Information about this grave will remain on display for the next two weeks, at the grave site and also on the main drive near the poppy cross grid and Cross of Sacrifice.

 

 

CWGC- Living Memory Project

As part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Living Memory Project, the Friends have researched and recorded information relating to Frederic Clifford Alabaster, who died of this injuries in the preparations for the Battle of the Somme.

More details will be available after our Remembrance Day Service (10.45 November 13th), where we will have a small display with further information about ‘Clifford’ and the part he played in the Great War prior to his death.

alabasterOur thanks must go to Alison Wheatley, King Edwards School Archivist and Edwina Reece, researcher at Moseley History Group for sharing their information with us.  We must also thank, FBEC member, Pat Franklin for putting the information together and FBEC member Julia Griffin for providing a contact to the ‘Alabaster’ family enabling us to seek their approval of this project.

Please call in to the cemetery and visit the Friends notice board on the main drive near the entrance, where you will find displayed some interesting information and photographs relating to Frederic Clifford Alabaster.

Poppy Crosses in place.

Every year, in the run up to Armistice Day, the Friends place over 300 poppy crosses on graves of those lost to conflicts. Many are members of the armed forces but many are also civilians killed in air raids locally, as shown in the grave below where 3 members of a family all lost their lives.

20161111_142136 20161112_104525

 

 

 

 

 

We also create a ‘Poppy Cross Cemetery’ grid, near the Cross of Sacrifice on the main drive, to show the vastness of the numbers involved just within Brandwood End Cemetery.

Please walk through the cemetery if you are passing and give a moment of your time to remember those who lost their lives either at home or abroad.

SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE- SUNDAY 13th NOVEMBER 10.45am .

ALL WELCOME

Woodthorpe Primary pupils make Hedgehogs welcome!

Pupils at Woodthorpe Primary School learn how to welcome Hedgehogs to their Forest School area and pitched in, creating Hedgehog houses and log piles.20161101_144340 20161101_145412 After instructions from Emma from the Wildlife Trust and Ranger Jan, pupils collected leaves to line the house and cut branches  to cover it, (after carefully surveying their site to find the best location).The next job was to build a ‘bug hotel’ so visiting Hedgehogs would have plenty of food available before bedding down for the winter.I am sure you agree, that if I was a local Hedgehog I would be hot footing it to their welcoming Forest School Hedgehog home!!

 

Our Community Film Maker working with local schools

As part of our Help for Hedgehogs campaign we have engaged a Community Film Maker to work in local schools, enabling pupils to make their own film record of the project. This initial meeting helped introduce pupils to the equipment they will be using. Quite a lot of theory before they get their hands on the equipment!20161018_13474520161017_121721

What a great day today!

What a marvelous ‘Help for Hedgehogs’  event we had today with over 80 people visiting to listen to Ranger Jan and Wildlife Trust’s Emma as they explained how to attract, feed and help hedgehogs whilst they are preparing for hibernation.20161025_151654Visitors had lots to occupy them, with facts and information on how to make a Hedgehog home,and the chance to take a Hedgehog house away with them. Above you can see Ranger Jan, Mrs Tiggywinkle’s friend (Julia) and James. 20161025_140711 20161025_135900

Visitors could help build a ‘house’ on site (Ably assisted by one of our local Councillors!)and then enjoy a walk with the Rangers to place the Hedgehog houses in suitable positions around the cemetery. For smaller visitors there was a story time room where ‘Tales of Pricklebum’ were read by a friend of Mrs Tiggywinkle and Ranger Jan.

20161025_14423320161025_141714The Friends would like to thank BBCWT (Emma and James) the Rangers (Jan and Dean) Volunteers from AMEY and SHED and Councillor Leddy for helping to make this event such a success. Even we were surprised at the number of people who showed a genuine interest in the plight of local Hedgehogs and were determined to try and make their own gardens more hedgehog friendly. We hope to see everyone again at our February half term event so watch this page for information.

Our thanks to the National Lottery, Heritage Lottery Fund who have made this all possible. Without their Grant we couldn’t run these events!