A Carol Service will be held at Kings Norton Cemetery on Saturday 14th December at 2pm, Rev John White and Pastor Brooks are officiating at the service which will be held outside the office, the event is being sponsored by Goodridge Milford Funeral Directors and following the service there will be refreshments available.
Bereavements Department have planted a memorial Christmas tree and invite people to place a card on the tree and make a donation to the Macmillan Charity.
Hopefully, if this event is a success, we may see a similar service at Brandwood End Cemetery next December.
Category: Community
Last litter pick of 2013!
Just a reminder to all those who support us and a appeal to anyone new who feels they can spare a couple of hours to help keep this cemetery litter free. Meet at the Lodge on the main drive at 10am this Sunday, 1st December. Please wear suitable stout footwear, outer clothing and gloves but we have plenty of litter pickers and bags!
Can we take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported our litter picks in 2013 and if you cant make this one, we look forward to seeing you in 2014. Watch this blog for confirmation of dates.
New Event: Bat Walk through Brandwood End Cemetery, 19th September
Many people enjoyed the bat walk that was led locally by Brum Bats in 2011. They attempted the event in 2012 only to have it rained off, like so many others last year. Brum Bats and the Ranger Service are hoping the weather will be kinder this year and have set a new date. The walk starts at Jasmin Fields and takes us through Brandwood End Cemetery, ending at Brandwood Pool. The Cemetery is closed in the evenings so this is your chance to get exclusive access, and hopefully see some bats!
The walk, lasting about 2 hours, starts at 7pm, please meet at the farm gate on Bayston Road, Kings Heath (opposite Kinsey Grove). Please wear suitable shoes and outdoor clothing and all under 16’s must be supervised. You will need a strong torch. This event does need to be booked due to popularity- so contact the Ranger Service on 0121 675 0937 if you want to join us.
Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress visit Jasmin Fields
Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery joined other members of New Vision at an ‘Explore Jasmin Fields’ event last Saturday. A similar event last summer was completely drowned out so we were dismayed when we started to set up in rain and wind! The wind was so strong that one or our gazebos briefly became a kite……but the wind soon dropped and the rain cleared and by starting time we had very acceptable weather.
We were very pleased that the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress came along to open the event and stayed most of the morning. The Ranger Service and the Friends of Jasmin Fields, supported by New Vision, had arranged a circular walk of the nature reserve, pond dipping, cake icing, badge making, bike repairs and advice on security by the Neighbourhood Policing Team. The event gave local groups, including FBEC, the opportunity to make residents more aware of their activities and to enlist members for future events. Everyone agreed to had been a real success and well worth the effort by the volunteers.
If you have an interest in any of the local groups, especially Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery, please contact us via this site and we will add you to our e mail list to be advised of anything happening in our local community group areas. We all need your support at our events and it is so good to see local people interested in any of our sites.
Hedge gets first serious cut!
Those of you that follow this blog will know that just over a year ago pupils from St Albans Catholic Primary School joined Friends and volunteers to replace an ailing hedge around the Civilian Garden of Remembrance with a new hawthorn hedge.This peaceful area had been abandoned for many years until The Friends, with lottery support, restored it to a restful place to sit and enjoy. Initially we had surrounded the area with a beech hedge but the soil, being clay and waterlogged much of the year, did not support this species, so a major plan was put in place to replace it with a more tolerant hawthorn hedge.
This hedge has thrived and grown and had begun to look unruly, despite occasional trimming, so this weekend it had its first serious ‘cut’ and we are pleased to say it looks fantastic. This will only be its second winter coming up and already it is starting to look like a well established hedge. I think you will agree from the photo’s above that the area looks inviting and is well cared for volunteers from FBEC.
If you feel you could help us at all with this ongoing task of weeding etc please contact us via our web site. Many hands make light work and there is always something to do.
Safety measures completed.
Some time ago we reported the concern of members that the exit from the Broad Lane gate of the cemetery was potentially dangerous as there was no pavement and you stepped into fast moving traffic. FBEC arranged with local Councillors to have the road marked outside both the public and the Jewish gates, to warn vehicles that there were hidden exits within the hedge line.
Following our request to the Cemetery Superintendent we are pleased to say that a warning sign has been placed close to the exit so all pedestrians are now aware of the danger. Our thanks go to those who drew this to our attention and also for the assistance of the local Councillor and Bereavements staff for addressing this issue
Local community activity event -17 August
The Friends of Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve, supported by New Vision, are holding a local event to encourage residents to become members of local Friends Groups and support their community. The event will run from 11am till 1pm on Saturday the 17th August on the main field area of Jasmin Fields, which can be accessed from Jasmin Croft or Bayston Rd, Kings Heath.
The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery will be at the event to encourage people to support their cause, along with other local groups.
The Neighbourhood Policing Team will be security marking bikes and running repairs will be available from ‘Bike Fixers’
The Ranger service will be stream dipping and bug hunting and members of Jasmin Fields Friends will be leading a walk around the site and the canal area. If you want to be sporty, Billesley Tennis Centre will be holding some activities and there will be various crafts for children to get involved in. There will also be a wood carver demonstrating her skills. Hopefully lots of local people will attend and all our groups will benefit from new members.