Category: Environment

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. 

Working with ‘our scene’ to Brighten Brandwood.

The Friends are pleased to announce that we are working with ourscene.org – who are a social enterprise on a mission to offer a change of scenery for those who need one within our Brandwood neighbourhood.

As part of their Brightening Brandwood  project they are making and distributing planters in the Brandwood area and we will be receiving three in Brandwood End Cemetery.

Regular visitors will have missed the usual lovely display of Geraniums lining the path to the Lodge on the main drive. Unfortunately BCC are no longer funding this display so the Friends have stepped up and with our funding and the assistance of Our Scene we hope to plant this area later next week. Our Chairman, Julia, has been busy preparing the area- not an easy task when the soil is so dry.

National Cemeteries week comes to a close.

We do hope you have enjoyed reading the research we have posted and we remind you that there are 86000+ graves in Brandwood End, so lots more to do !  We welcome anyone who would like to join us doing long term research.

We also highlighted the gardening and general tidying work that the Friends do- and again we are always welcoming, as an extra pair of hands helps spread the load.

The Friends are always in need of supporters to help with weeding in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance as the two large round beds are now well established and ground cover plants are flourishing but weeds still are an issue. We had a very successful rota but I am afraid most of the volunteers have either moved away or feel physically unable to continue. Weeding  there can be done when ever you want  but we do need to know before you go for insurance purposes. A text to 07811393259 or an e mail to friendsofbec@gmail.com is equally acceptable. If you would rather work in a group then let us know and we will arrange w work party for a few of us. We hope one of our supporters can help. 

A huge  thankyou to those that already go above and beyond to assist.

Heritage Walk for all.

Our only public event in National Cemeteries week took place today as most of our information is on this web page or our facebook site. A dry but cloudy day meant that we had plenty of time to walk the route of our Heritage Trail and can I express my thanks to the participants who listened to my chat and came up with some searching questions. The trail starts opposite the Lodge on the main drive at the Friends noticeboard.
For those that missed it , you can download a PDF of the walk below.
It is wheelchair friendly, apart from one grave, as it is concentrated on the main drive and items of interest clearly visible from there.
Plan this trail into a sunny day and enjoy the peace, greenery, wildlife and history that surrounds you in Brandwood End.  Consider if you may like to join us on the Friend committee. There is so much of interest for everyone and we welcome anyone who may wish to pop along to meetings a few times before making a decision.

National Cemeteries Week

Starting tomorrow we will be highlighting Brandwood End as part of National Cemeteries Week. Over the week we will passing on lots of our research, reminding you of the extensive flora and fauna within the cemetery and pointing out some items of interest that may have passed you by.

On Tuesday 3rd we will be leading a small walk through the cemetery to give some background on its history. Numbers are limited but we do still have a couple of places. If you wish to attend please e mail to reserve a place to  friendsofbec@gmail.com   Meet by the Lodge at 12.30pm.

To kick off the week can we recommend that you take part in this brilliant short project organised by Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust. You may remember we ran a superb Hedgehog project with them a couple of years ago.

City Nature Challenge 2022 | The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country (bbcwildlife.org.uk)