Author: Sarah Courbet

Can you spare just 90 minutes to help the Friends out? Then we need you!

Litter in Brandwood End Cemetery

LITTER PICK:  SATURDAY 2ND MARCH 2013

The Friends carry out four litter picks each year and we really need your help to keep the Cemetery tidy for family and visitors.  You don’t have to be a member just willing to help out for 90 minutes.  Litter pickers and bags are provided!

Please put the date in your diary and come along if you can.  All you need is sturdy shoes, gloves and suitable outdoor clothing!

We meet at the Lodge at 10.00am and are generally finished by 11.30.

We are in need of all the help we can get to keep the Cemetery looking clean and tidy.

See you there?

Can you help with tidying up the Cemetery, get some fresh air and make new friends at the same time?

Litter in Brandwood End Cemetery

LITTER PICK:  SUNDAY 2ND DECEMBER 2012.

The Friends carry out four litter picks each year and we really need your help to keep the Cemetery tidy for family and visitors.  You don’t have to be a member just willing to help out for 90 minutes.  Litter pickers and bags are provided!

Please put the date in your diary and come along if you can.  All you need is sturdy shoes, gloves and suitable outdoor clothing!

We meet at the Lodge at 10.00am and are generally finished by 11.30.

We are in need of all the help we can get to keep the Cemetery looking clean and tidy.

See you there?

We REALLY do need your help please

Brandwood End Cemetery Civilian Garden before weeding
Before weeding….
Brandwood End Cemetery Civilian Garden before weeding
Before weeding….
There is a large amount of weeding and edging that needs doing to restore the Civilian Garden to it’s normal impressive setting.
To undertake this work The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery will be holding a ‘Gardening Work Day’ in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance area.
We have already made a start but it really needs a few more hands for a good tidy up.
If you, or anyone you know, might be interested to help please come along at 10am on Sunday the 30th September.  Please meet at the large Oak Tree Island on the main drive if you are not familiar with the Civilian Garden area. You will be able to see everyone from there!
We do not possess a wealth of tools so please come with your own tools  if at all possible ie kneeler, gloves, hand tools and shears.
For more information or to let us know if you can join us please email friendsofbec@gmail.com
Here is the garden looking a little better but still needing plenty of work:
Brandwood End Cemetery Civilian Garden after weeding
After…

Brandwood End Cemetery Civilian Garden after weeding

What a year it has been in the life of the Friends

Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan becomes Patron of Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery

The Friends work tirelessly to improve the Cemetery and ensure that visitors feel that it is well cared for and loved.  We thought we would share a few of our achievements in recent months and they include:

The establishment, last year, of a two year Memorandum of Understanding and regular monthly meetings with Councillor Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Regeneration, Bereavement Services officers and FBEC, have resulted in a mutually and clearly defined way forward for Brandwood End Cemetery.  The twin Victorian Mortuary Chapels have long been derelict and partially destroyed by fire, but since FBEC’s inception various works have been instigated to ensure, if at all possible, the retention of this wonderful building.  We are seeking, in conjunction with Birmingham City Council, to submit an application for Heritage Lottery funding for the chapels and will, of course keep you informed by Newsletter.

  • The Superintendent’s Lodge, vacated after flooding, is also currently being refurbished with plans being considered for its use within the cemetery.  The improvements will include the provision of a garden and refurbishment of the existing toilet block.
  • We were delighted to welcome two new Patrons.  Elizabeth Perkins, Director, Birmingham Conservation Trust, and Alistair McGowan, actor, impressionist and comedian.
  • FBEC continue to be represented on the Committee of ‘New Vision’, a group formed to continue the community cohesion begun by the 106 group.
  • FBEC have a representative on Birmingham Heritage Forum and in 2012 we will again be included in their promotional information leaflets which are distributed to most city tourist venues.

To read the full article and see what a few dedicated people and their supporters can achieve:

FBEC_Achievements

Fan mail from a Friend of Brandwood End Cemetery

Brandwood_End_Cemetery_Chapels_Enabling_Works_2012_Web
Victorian twin terracotta Chapels at Brandwood End Cemetery

 

“One of our members wrote this lovely letter and has kindly agreed to us publishing it.  As one of the Founding Members, current Chairman and Friend myself it is wonderful to know our efforts are both noticed and supported.  Thank you Jeannette!”

Anne Courbet, Chairman

 

 “It was uplifting to see some activity at the Victorian Mortuary Chapels when my husband and I visited Brandwood End Cemetery at Easter time.  It is such a pity that the metal safety fencing has to remain – not a pretty sight – but obviously it is there to protect what remains of the chapels from further vandalism.

I always try to make my small contribution towards the general appearance of the cemetery whenever my husband and I visit our family graves – picking up litter, raking dead leaves, etc. wherever it is needed.

I realise that it is only due to the dedication and enthusiasm of the Committee of F.B.E.C. that any of the improvements made during the past few years have been achieved.  I would like to say thank you to each one of you.  Thank goodness someone came up with the idea of forming F.B.E.C.

My husband remembers very clearly how beautifully kept Brandwood End cemetery was when his family lived in Yarningale Road in the late 1940s, and the general area was still quite rural.”

Regards,  Jeannette.

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Welcome news for Brandwood End Cemetery

Brandwood_End_Cemetery_Chapels_Enabling_Works_2012_Web
Victorian twin terracotta Chapels at Brandwood End Cemetery

The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery are delighted to announce that following close liaison with Councillor Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member, for Transport, Environment and Regeneration, and Birmingham City Council Bereavement Service Officers, conservation planning has been granted for enabling works to be undertaken on the Victorian twin terracotta Grade II listed Chapels in order to improve security.

Superintendent's Lodge at Brandwood End Cemetery
Superintendent's Lodge at Brandwood End Cemetery about to undergo a facelift

In addition, the Superintendent’s Lodge (Grade ll listed by association with the chapels), which was rendered uninhabitable by flooding in December 2010, is to be refurbished by Birmingham City Council. Amongst other uses, consideration is being given to the Lodge eventually becoming a Visitors’ Centre and for local community group use. The works include the provision of a garden area and refurbishment of the existing toilet block.

The enabling works have begun on the Chapels and work will commence on the Lodge shortly.

To see more photos of the enabling works, the Lodge and of the Cemetery please visit and join our Flickr group.

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 19th April 2012 at The Brandwood Centre from 19.30.   All interested parties are welcome; only members are entitled to vote.

The Friends have been working in close co-operation with Birmingham City Council since 2005 and have achieved many improvements to the cemetery in general. Combined efforts towards the repair and restoration of the Chapels will be ongoing.

Anyone interested in supporting the Friends in their endeavours can obtain more information here, by e-mailing us at friendsofbec@gmail.com or by writing to us  c/o The Lakeside Centre, 180 Lifford Lane, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B30 3NU.

Litter Pick – Sunday 2nd December 2012

Litter in Brandwood End Cemetery
Litter in Brandwood End Cemetery

The Friends carry out four litter picks each year and we really need your help to keep the Cemetery tidy for family and visitors.  You don’t have to be a member just willing to help out for 90 minutes.  Litter pickers and bags are provided!

Please put the date in your diary and come along if you can.  All you need is sturdy shoes, gloves and suitable outdoor clothing!

We meet at the Lodge at 10.00am and are generally finished by 11.30.

We are in need of all the help we can get to keep the Cemetery looking clean and tidy.

See you there?