Category: Environment

Grave Gardeners Volunteer Day.

If you can spare even an hour on the 15th please come along and help- anytime between 11am and 2pm. Stout footwear and gardening gloves if you have them, but we do have tools and some heavy-duty gloves. Many of the graves have no living relatives to visit and help clear self-set shrubs and trees, so we are hoping to be able to make a difference. This is always a rewarding experience as you can see the impact you make as graves ‘appear’ from the shrubbery.  Brandwood End is a 53 acre site and has been used for burials since 1899. The days of 20+ on site Gardeners (as there used to be) have gone so we need to encourage community help with this never ending battle.

Fantastic Fungi

Despite short notice there were 18 keen attendees at our wonderful Fungi Walk led by Lukas Large. We even  have a waiting list for our next venture into the world of fungi.  The weather was with us but  unfortunately there was very little fungi, as despite the previous day’s heavy showers the ground was still very dry.

Luckily, Lukas had also bought some interesting specimens along with him so we all had a very interesting and informative couple of hours. Thank you for your time Lukas and Josie, for arranging this.

Avoid the risk of Fires in Brandwood End.

Just a timely reminder that, as was recently seen in a cemetery down south, cemeteries are not immune to raging fires in this heat.  Brandwood End is tinder dry.  Broken glass and shiny objects can concentrate the sun and start fires in this heat.  Please take care what you leave near/on your family grave. An empty/broken glass object can be enough to start a fire .

We have noticed the occasional candle in a jar- please dont do this! Animals knock them over. Normally just a broken jar ensues, but at the moment this could cause a serious fire threatening not just the beautiful cemetery but nearby properties.

Please think before you leave any reflective item at this time.  Take care and Thankyou.

Summer visitor returns.

Well folks our annual visitor ‘Mrs Roe Deer’ is back. My husband literally bumped into her near Brandwood Pool. She ran off and presumably round the back of the pool through the undergrowth back towards the cemetery. This was at 11am today!  I notice that Nigel’s photography was also near the middle of the day.
What draws her here every summer is a mystery, but her visits began during the long hot summer at the start of Covid. Just a reminder what she looks like- taken by Nigel Cox from his garden.
If anyone gets a photo please post on our facebook site or e mail it to   friendsofbec@gmail.com
She is very shy, naturally, so dont get too close or frighten her.

Interesting maps

We thought members may be interested in these 2 maps. One shows the area of Brandwood End Cemetery as it was before the cemetery existed, but with the cemetery boundaries superimposed. The second shows the existing cemetery with the original 1838 map superimposed. Interesting to see the area of water marked originally on the bottom left of the map near Broad Lane.

Civilian Garden looks glorious in the sunshine today.

We thought we would share with you these photos taken today on a warm summer morning in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance created in 1952 by Birmingham City Council as a memorial to the civilian dead of the 1939-45 war.

The newly restored benches, the mini rose trees and flourishing geranium plants in the four path beds are all examples of the contribution the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery make to this special place.   We can indeed be proud of our efforts.

‘At the going down of the sun, and in the morning;

we will remember them.’

Shout out for help at Jasmin Fields.

Jasmin Fields Nature reserve lies just across Broad Lane from the Cemetery and we try and support each other when we can. The Chinnbrook runs through their site and along with wetland comes Himalayan Balsam- a pretty but invasive plant.

This Sunday the 19th June at 2pm there will be a work party to help remove as much as we can. Thankfully it is easy to remove and the only kit required is stout footwear….and gloves.

Meet at the Farm gate in Bayston Avenue facing Kinsey Grove

ove.