Come along and help record the inscriptions on the headstones in Brandwood End. You can also learn what they really mean and how word styles have changed over the years.
Dates are now available for the whole of the summer but you do need to book a place as numbers are restricted. Once you take part in this event, organised by Caring for Gods Acre, you will want to come again.
These sessions are free, just book your place here.
Thank you to the 19 volunteers who helped remove 27 bags of ‘rubbish’ from the cemetery. Sadly lots of the rubbish consisted of windblown artificial flowers that had been swept far from their original graves by wind and squirrels. Our message is MAKE SURE ANY FLOWERS OR OFFERINGS ARE WELL SECURED. If you, or someone you know, have a grave in the cemetery we would advise that you check that all is OK. We have no idea which graves wind blown flowers come from so they find a home on the nearest grave or in the bin if they are in a poor state. 
Our March Litter Pick takes places this Saturday the 5th March. As usual this March we are taking part in the national Great British Spring Clean event that is organised by Keep Britain Tidy.
We will supply the pickers and bags, we just need your muscles ! Can we remind you that stout shoes are the order of the day and that children are welcome, but they must bring an adult with them.
Meet at 10am by the Lodge on the main drive.
Birmingham is undertaking surveys at the moment to see what the public think of their dealings with BCC staff etc. Last week the Friends took part with our views on our organisations interactions with Bereavements Service Department. Watch media sites- as they are reaching out via various organisations.
Oh how we wish we could secure the millions of funding that Key Hill and Warstone Lane cemeteries have, as it has enabled them to carry out so much practical work and also improve their digital presence. The ability to hire professionals to achieve results can be seen from their web site below. We would recommend one of their tours….but we would also like to recommend our own events!
Regular visitors to Brandwood End are aware that we have a large number of Commonwealth War Graves but for some unknown reason a small number are placed together in an area in Section 33. We have tried, as have Bereavement Services staff, to find the reason why these flyers have been buried together, when all the other CWGC recognised graves are scattered throughout the cemetery. We are all unable to find any tie between them.
Following a recent visit from a representative of CWGC it was decided that the site needed to be refreshed, and we reported on the start of this work. This is an update and the turf is now in place. We suspect that not much will happen now until this turf has bedded in, but perennial planting should follow and continued maintenance by CWGC gardening staff.
Members of the Friends spent a fruitful morning with Councillor John Cotton (Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety, Equalities and Bereavement Services) and Paul Lankester (Interim Assistant Director Regulation and Enforcement). Alison Fumagalli and Dawn Harding (Bereavement Services) arranged the meeting and we were able to view the Chapel interiors and several other areas in the cemetery. We thank them all for sparing the time in their busy work schedules but I am sure they agree that it was an interesting morning for us all.
Whilst in the cemetery we all paid a visit to the small War Graves area which is being refurbished by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission team, as it had become a little shabby. We await the finished article with anticipation as there will be new turf and perennial planting, in line with all CWGC maintained sites.
THURSDAY 27TH JANUARY IS A DATE FOR QUIET REFLECTION.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2022
There will be a commemoration event at Millennium Point on Sunday 20th.
Birmingham’s annual civic commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day will be hosted at Millennium Point next week.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal, will lead the event on Sunday (30 January 2022) which this year has the theme of One Day. The event is free, open to all and starts at 2pm.
Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.
One Day is the theme for this year’s event, in the hope there may be one day in the future with no genocide. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the past, empathise with others today and take action for a better future.
This year’s programme will feature a candle-lighting ceremony as well as testimony from Mindu Hornick MBE, who will talk about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, plus performances from violinist Simone Schehtman, Birmingham’s Young Poet Laureate Fatma Mohiuddin and the city council’s choir.
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for everyone to pause, reflect and learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present day, to create a safer, better future.
“This year we will be able to come together to light a candle and remember victims of atrocities and genocides around the world, as well as those who are still sadly losing their lives through war, conflict and hate crime. I hope as many people as possible will join us Millennium Point on 30 January.”
Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, will be hosting the event and give a short speech.
This event will also be recorded and shared via the city council’s social media accounts afterwards.
It is suspected that Badgers from a local sett have been venturing into the cemetery. They are beautiful creatures but can cause untold damage to graves and lawned areas which would cause great distress to bereaved families, as well as costing a lot to rectify.
If you see a Badger within the cemetery can you note the area and the time and let us know via a message or email. The most likely time to spot them will be early morning and late afternoon (at dusk) but if you live backing onto the cemetery you may spot them at other times. Photographs would be very interesting as well.
The Ranger service and local residents have been aware of several large setts locally so hopefully they are just foraging and not looking for a new home!