Category: Community

Victims Remembered.

Many of our followers will be familiar with the Civilian Garden of Remembrance in Brandwood End but not so many of you will realise that this is the final resting place of close to sixty civilians who lost their lives during local bombing raids in 1940/41.

The names of those buried here are listed in a book of Remembrance held at King’s Norton but not recorded anywhere in the cemetery.

The Friends gave been working with a local Stonemason to create a Memorial in the Civilian Garden listing their names.

We hope by this summer we will have raised the funds and the memorial will be installed. Please watch our site for further information.

 

 

Volunteers keeping sites going.

Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, who collate the hours and tasks undertaken by Birmingham’s volunteers, have published their annual summary of work undertaken.

When you consider the financial position that Birmingham Council find themselves in, it really shows how much effort and time volunteers are putting in to shore up parks, cemeteries and other sites around the City. Without supervision and support by Park Rangers, Neighbourhood Action
Co-ordinators  and BOSF, much of this work would not have been possible.
Lets hope Birmingham Council understand the importance of maintaining the roles mentioned above because they are going to have to rely on volunteer services more and more.

Last gardening work party of 2023

The Friends have had half a dozen work parties in the cemetery but todays was the final one of 2023. As usual our aim was to remove as many self set Holly saplings from graves as possible. Many of the ‘saplings’ had now grown to cover several graves and hampered families in their genealogy searches or in many cases prevented the tending of these graves.

Today we managed to uncover several graves and one was particularly interesting. Watch this site for more information. To our surprise over a dozen people turned up to help. Some stayed all of the session, some stayed an hour or so.  All worked really hard to uncover graves.

     

A story from this stone?                            Eleven full bags awaiting collection.

Two of our volunteers have been concentrating on the Civilian Garden of Remembrance and beds have been tidied and under hedges cleared. An amazing impact created by Sue and Ray.

                               

Without our volunteers we would not be able to complete all the projects that we do- so can we give them all a huge thank you and wish everyone a Peaceful and Merry Christmas, as we all settle down for some family and personal time.