Today was our quarterly litter pick at Brandwood End Cemetery. Our apologies for not posting a reminder on the News Feed on our site but time overtook us! There is a full list of dates posted elsewhere on this site. Luckily there was a respite from the continual rain so hopefully everyone enjoyed their task.
Author: Jane Edwards
Are you searching for a grave?
If you are one of the many people searching for a grave within Brandwood End Cemetery you can normally contact Bereavement Services at Kings Norton (who hold the records) and get a more or less instant reply.
There is a minimum of 24 hour delay at the present as all the Brandwood End records of burials since the 1800’s are away from the site being ‘digitised’. This will vastly improve the service in future but means that there is a 24 hour delay in the short term- possibly till the end of May.
If you need information you need to contact Bereavement Services at least 24 hours in advance and make a request. Unfortunately this will make it difficult for anyone just turning up at the cemetery and ringing for an instant answer but this delay is unavoidable if records are to be made more accessible.
Tel: 0121 303 5583
Fax: 0121 459 8284
Email: kings.norton@birmingham.gov.uk
Brandwood Pool Plinth repaired.
For a while now the plinth used by families to feed the ducks at Brandwood Pool has been rotten and not really safe but we are pleased to say it is back in use again. Dean, the Ranger, helped by Wendy and her team of students from Bournville College have redesigned the base and removed all that wood and replaced it with hard core. Lots of baby moor hens, coots and ducks to feed. Keep your eyes peeled for our daily Woodpecker visitor. He likes the large Oak on the far side of the pool. 
Brandwood Pool lies adjacent to the Cemetery but walking access is via Whittington Close B14 6JW.
The Friends are always looking for help at work parties and litter picks. They can be contacted on 0121 605 4316.
Just a few reminders of why our members hold Brandwood End Cemetery so dear.
Our Terracotta Chapels and our trees. Our Angels and areas for quiet contemplation. Our wild life and birds. As a visitor, whatever reason brings you to Brandwood End Cemetery you are sure to find something to marvel at. Please consider joining the Friends. We need your support. Applications can be downloaded from this site.
2014 AGM
Our thanks to all those who attended our AGM at St Bedes Church. We didnt have a large turn out but those that attended all participated in informal discussions after the AGM on a range of subjects. Thanks again for taking the time to come and sharing your thoughts with us. We will be posting a copy of the our accounts, and a list of Officers, on this site following our next meeting at the start of May.
Blooms on main drive again!
Doesn’t it make you feel like spring is here. First we had all the snowdrops, then the crocus bulbs popped through. Now we have a couple of patches of beautiful Anemones. Not as many as last
year but never the less welcome.
Lord Mayor joins local school at Veolia sponsored event in cemetery
We wish we could say that the sun shone today as it has done for the last week- but it didn’t. That didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of pupils from St Alban’s RC Primary School who came along to the cemetery to help plant hawthorn whips around a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial area. Brandwood End is home to over 300 war graves but there is only one small area where graves lie in rows on a specially maintained area of grassland. This area is now enclosed by a new hawthorn hedge.
We were pleased to welcome lots of visitors to the site as well as the pupils. Representatives of Veolia Environmental Services, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, New Vision, Bereavement Services, Quadron Contractors and local residents were joined by the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress.
Following a busy morning planting they all enjoyed refreshments and a chance to talk to the Lord Mayor about his role and his regalia.
Well done!
FBEC AGM 2014
You are invited to the Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery which is to be held on Thursday 10th April at 7.30 pm. Please note that we have changed the venue back to St Bedes Church, Bryndale Ave, B14 6NG. We hope returning to this venue will increase attendance at our AGM as we need your support at our meetings. Copies of the Annual Report and the Audited Accounts will be presented and circulated to the members. Following the meeting these will be posted on our website www.fbec.org.uk.
Poppy Cross Cemetery removed.
Today, during our litter pick, FBEC removed all 300+ poppy crosses laid out in our annually created ‘poppy cross cemetery’.
Following a request from Bereavements we have removed the crosses in the Public Grave area in readiness for grass cutting to start in the spring.
Every year our Vice Chairman, Barrie Simpson, and helpers create a grid of poppy crosses in the hope that it will help people to understand the large numbers of war graves within Brandwood End Cemetery. They also place poppy crosses on every war grave and these will remain in place until November 2015 unless removed by next of kin.
FBEC and Chris Gascoigne of S.Gascoine and Sons sponsored our crosses by donation to the British Legion.
Missing crocus bulbs found!!
Several years ago the members of FBEC spent back breaking hours planting patches of aconites, snowdrops and several thousand crocuses. You may have enjoyed the aconites and snowdrops as you strolled along the main drive but only 2 clumps of crocuses remain near the Oak Tree Island. Much to our annoyance all of the remaining crocus bulbs were dug up and, as far as we were concerned, eaten by the squirrels! Apparently they are a favourite with them…….. Today, whilst litter picking close to D1 we suddenly noticed a shimmering patch of blue.
On closer investigation we discovered a swathe of blue crocuses in an area that we would never have planted in! It would appear that one or two of the greedy squirrels dug up our bulbs and reburied them in their ‘larder’ area and then either forgot them or couldn’t remember where they were…… What a beautiful show these bulbs now make. Perhaps we will forgive the squirrels their greed!
