Category: Environment

Grave Gardeners session- 9th November 11am

We will be hosting this months Grave Gardeners in the cemetery on this Saturday, the 9th November at 11am for a couple of hours. Why not come along and enjoy the fresh air whilst helping to keep Brandwood End Cemetery looking at its best. We have the tools and gardening gloves but you are welcome to bring your own. Meet opposite the Lodge by the main entrance in Woodthorpe Road.

Please arrive by 11am as we will be moving to other areas of this 53 acre site

Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult.

Grave Gardeners plough ahead with more clearance.

You may think we seem to be doing a lot of ‘grave clearance’, and we are ! We have a very short window Between September and the end of March to remove any large areas of Holly or Ivy as during nesting season DEFRA have regulations regarding disturbing nesting. This also affects how and when we cut the hedge surrounding the Civilian Garden.

Today, Saturday the 12th, was the turn of our ‘community supporters’- or Grave Gardeners as we call them. They meet once a month generally and help clear self set trees and shrubs as well as keeping hedges in check and the flower beds and tubs weeded. We welcome anyone who may be interested to join us. Our next session will be November 9th. Meet at the Lodge at 11am.  You may want to bring your own heavy duty gardening gloves but we do have spare pairs. We also have tools, but again if you prefer to work with your own tools they are very welcome. (Loppers/shears/rakes)

                         

 

 

 

Deutsche Bank visit again to help clear shrubbery

Staff from Deutsche Bank turned out again on the 9th to help clear a huge coppice of Holly and Ivy that had overtaken a number of graves making it impossible for family to locate or visit.

The photograph below shows the effort it takes to clear Ivy once it has got hold. Great care has to be taken to prevent damage to lead lettering. Follow this link as it shows the events of the day and a sequence of photographs detailing the progress to reveal this memorial. There were many more as well but this one took almost an hour of two peoples time and determination.

 

Nat West Staff battle the rain.

Last week we had to cancel the visit from Nat West Staff to help clear graves. As you all may remember, we were suffering from heavy rain and storm conditions -so we were concerned when it appeared things were going the same way with their replacement visit today! We needn’t have worried as three of their staff turned up undaunted and made amazing inroads into clearing the front of Section 8.

                                        

I think the difference is evident from the photographs above.? Thank you ladies and thanks to the FBEC volunteers that organised the day.

NIQ Volunteers make inroads into Section 8

This is the first time that NIQ have been on site with the Friends and we hope they will return again as they all worked very hard……..and we are pretty sure they all enjoyed themselves! The area that they were working in had a section almost completely covered with large shrubs but NIQ staff worked hard and changed the end of the section completely.

 

HERITAGE WEEK BEGINS IN BRANDWOOD END

Take part in some of the Heritage Open  events in Brandwood End Cemetery. Add them to your diary now…

  • WEDNESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2024- 2PM Join Ian Binnie as he takes you on a Tour of the memorials to those killed in 1944. (The 80th anniversary of D Day and other crucial battles). Ian will present biographies of several men and women who served and died and are buried in Brandwood End. There is no need to book this event. (THE TOUR WILL LAST APPROX. ONE HOUR. MEET BY THE LODGE, ON THE MAIN DRIVE. )
  • THURSDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER AT 7.30PM ‘Over by Christmas 1944’ A ZOOM event. To receive a ZOOM link please e mail Ian Binnie on warwickfus@btinternet.com
  • SATURDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 11AM TILL 2 PM Who Lies Beneath? Join the Friends for an open event in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance (in Section 33) to learn more about those bombing victims buried in this communal peaceful space and see our recently installed Memorial stone carrying their names. We will be joined by local WW2 Air Raid and BARRA Historian, Matt Felkin, who will happily share his records and knowledge with visitors.

friendsofbec@gmail.com

Access to graves improved in Section 7

Bereavements and the Friends have received requests from visiting families for low hanging branches to be lifted, in Section 7, as they are making access to graves difficult.

Both Bereavements staff and ourselves had a look and agreed that something needed to be done. The Cemetery Superintendent, knowing we had a Grave Gardeners session, asked if we would be happy to tackle the problem so 4 of our team set to and removed the lower 8 feet of hanging branches.  All looking good for now. Maybe further action needed in 2025?