Yet another day with a fantastic team. AVOVE staff went above and beyond to clear a huge area of the cemetery that had been under shrubbery for many years.
Bit by bit graves were uncovered. Some of them had been buried under dense shrubbery for a long time but when dug out, they were remarkably intact and had been protected by years of pine needles.
Those of you that follow FBEC and the cemetery will know that we have been waging war on the advancing areas of Holly, Ivy and general shrubbery that got a strong hold in the cemetery during Covid. Last months tidy up was very successful so we are trying to squeeze a final assault before Winter sets in. Most of this clearance must be done now as the Spring heralds the nesting season and we want to leave shrubbery, especially Ivy, undisturbed. Pop in for as long as you like and give a hand. Stout footwear and gloves if possible. Bring your own tools if you wish but we have loppers and other items.
Our annual Service of Remembrance will take place at the Cross of Sacrifice on the main drive on Sunday 13th November 2022 at 10.45am.
A few weeks ago Josie Wall, and the Friends, put a shout out for help to remove acres of Holly that were taking over many areas of the cemetery- especially the main drive. Little did we know that 20+ people would turn up and spent hours clearing such a mountain of Holly and some Ivy !. Josie is showing the scale of one of the two piles volunteers removed.
The effect was obvious after 30 minutes, but 3 hours later it was amazing. The photograph above is a before. The one below is the same space afterwards.
Thank you all, The community stands up and shows its commitment yet again. We hope to do this again in November, which will probably be our last chance this side of Christmas. Watch this space.
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.
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.
Those of you that follow our Web site or Facebook site may have noticed a new contributor. Josie Wall has been appointed on a 12 month contract as Bereavement Services Activities Manager. Josie’s role covers 9 Birmingham Cemeteries and 3 Crematoria and involves supporting existing friends groups, encouraging the formation of friends groups in other cemeteries and resolving a number of issues not directly involved with ‘funerals’ but no less important to the general community.
Fbec have already enjoyed working alongside Josie as part of the ‘God’ s Acre’ project in Brandwood End and are very pleased to welcome her in her new role.
Our partnership with Caring for God’s Acre to record all the inscriptions on headstones to populate a digital map of Brandwood End is coming to a close but during Heritage week they kindly led a session for the public in the hope that we may prolong its demise!
A large group of over 20 people enjoyed a well researched and delivered walk today taking in the graves of interesting Balsall Heath residents.
Julia Griffin, our Chairman, and Val Hart from Balsall Heath History Society had originally designed this walk to be delivered to Society members but there was so much interest that it was repeated in full today. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine and a chance to learn more about some of those buried in Brandwood.
Today we were able to tell the story of the Civilian Garden of Remembrance and those that lie within.
Many of our visitors today had no idea that this peaceful area of reflection existed and certainly knew nothing of those buried within.
With the help of Matt Felkin and his wealth of knowledge, we were able to answer many questions about Civilian casualties and local areas that received bomb damage.
Our thanks again to everyone that helped us deliver this Heritage Event and those who took the time to visit us, especially in this strange time of public mourning.
