Anyone who supports the Friends will know that due to a kind donation we have been able to refurbish the Civilian Garden of Remembrance to make future maintenance a little easier for our small number of dedicated volunteers.
We do hope people will join us for its unveiling on Saturday the 24th September at 10am, followed by tea and cake in the Lodge. (Be aware that the cemetery does not officially open till 10am on a Saturday)
Category: Environment
Rain didn’t stop play!
We were all watching the rain filled skies with trepidation this afternoon as we held our launch event for our Heritage Lottery funded ‘Help for Hedgehogs’ project.
Jan, the Ranger and Gareth from Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust set up their displays but we did not hold out too much hope as the rain got heavier and heavier but we were all in for a surprise!
Even before we had set everything up the rain eased and families began to arrive !
Jan chatted to everyone about Hedgehogs before leading them off on a trail to find interesting ‘Hedgehog’ facts and then everyone collected suitable twigs and cones to make their very own Hedgehog.
I think you can tell from the faces below how the ‘make your own Hedgehog’ activity went!!
Our thanks to the 30+ people who disregarded the awful weather and we hope you will all come back (with your friends!) to our next event on October 25th in Half Term.
Soggy Litter Pick!!
Our thanks to the 5 volunteers that turned out to our most recent litter pick in very damp conditions (turning to heavy rain!) Never the less, 6 bags of litter were collected- mainly flower papers.
Whilst litter picking we encounter many artificial bouquets of flowers that have blown off graves and lie abandoned on grassed areas. We place these back on ‘nearby’ graves, but they may not be the correct ones- so our apologies if your artificial flowers appear to have moved elsewhere. We have no way of knowing where they have blown from and if not removed from the grass, they will be shredded by the large grass cutting machines and create not only an unsightly mess but a hazard to wildlife. If you leave artificial flowers at a grave site please ensure they are secured. Thank you.
Litter Pick final reminder
This Saturday 3rd September, meet at the Lodge on the main drive of Brandwood End Cemetery. Bags and pickers provided but stout footwear and gloves advisable. 10-11.30am
Bags and pickers provided but stout footwear and gloves advisable. 10-11.30am
Great News- Wildlife Project funding secured.
The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery are excited to announce that we have been successful in a bid to the National Lottery (Heritage Lottery Fund) to undertake a ‘Help for Hedgehogs’ project in Brandwood End Cemetery and the surrounding area. The project will be delivered for us by The Wildlife Trust (Birmingham and Black Country) and the Ranger Service who will be offering events and workshops, over the next year, to encourage local residents to improve Hedgehog habitat and also surveying the cemetery for Hedgehog activity.
Please come along and support this event and learn why Hedgehogs are in dramatic decline and what YOU can do to increase the local population.
Some of these events will be family orientated and other will be of a more serious nature, for those of you that want to learn how to and participate in surveying for Hedgehogs. Come along to the launch and find out more!
Supporting Kings Norton Cemetery
As those of you who have relatives in Brandwood End know, we have very close links with the much newer cemetery at Kings Norton as this is where all the Bereavement Service Staff and Ground Staff who service both cemeteries are based. They have an event coming up for anyone who may have an interest in Kings Norton Cemetery.
Primrose Meadow- Natural Burial Site- September 9th 11am-13:00– Consultation Event.
Here at our award winning cemetery in Kings Norton we offer the facility of a natural burial site – Primrose Meadow. Established in 2012 the meadow is still in its infancy stage and as it develops we would like to the views of all stakeholders as to developments in the future. For those interested in natural burials we have staff on hand to guide you through the protocols of a natural burial. A range of environmental projects are attending for those simply interested in wildlife and wildflowers.
September litter pick
Another quarter of a year has passed and we will be carrying out our next Litter Pick on Saturday 3rd September. Meet at the Lodge on the main drive at 10am. We may also need to be watering the newly planted Civilian Garden of Remembrance if it stays as hot as it is now! 
Please come along and enjoy an hour and a half strolling around the cemetery and clearing any unsightly litter you may come across. Bags and pickers provided but stout shoes and gloves advised.
Completion of the ‘Civilian Garden’ refurbishment
Those of you that follow our blog will know that back in June the Friends engaged ‘Darren Rudge Landscape Designs’ and some of his students to refresh and partly redesign the Civilian Garden of Remembrance flower beds. The beds had become overgrown and following a donation we were in a position to carry out work to reduce future day to day maintenance by our small team of volunteer gardeners. You will see from the photographs below that the results are magnificent, but we would like to invite you to join us at an official unveiling on Saturday September 24th at 10am, followed by tea and cake.
Brightening the Brandwood area.
Thank you to local community members who plant and maintain this lovely flower box in Broad Lane near the rear entry to the cemetery. It has been a joy all year round.
Sunny day for RHS visit
When we all got up to heavy rain this morning we wondered if the visit of the RHS Heart of England in Bloom judges to Brandwood End might be a wash out, but by lunch time the sun was shining and Brandwood End was looking at its best.
Volunteers work within Brandwood End all year round doing all sorts of activities. Their work ranges from litter picks, gardening, historical research, environmental projects, to carrying out surveys, attending meetings and making grant applications. You probably don’t see us, but we hope you see the effect we have in the cemetery.
The Friends of Brandwood End work with Bereavement Services staff and horticultural contractors to try and improve the ‘visitor’ experience in the cemetery. You may be visiting the grave of a loved one, or walking through as a short cut, carrying out grave research or just enjoying the peace and quiet. Whatever your reason, we hope it creates a pleasant interlude in your day.
Today we found a local family enjoying their snacks in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance. We are so glad to see people relaxing in this beautiful, peaceful area.