NATIONAL CEMETERIES WEEK 2022 will be running from 30th April till 8th May this year. It is a chance for Cemeteries and their Friends Groups to shout about what they are doing in relation to the many aspects they are involved in- from Remembrance to biodiversity. During that week the Friends will be signposting you to items of interest in Brandwood End. Watch this site and our notice boards within the cemetery for more information.
As the Spring takes over from Winter the project to record the memorials and their inscriptions in Brandwood End continues.
This project, led by Caring for Gods Acre, has two parts to it at the moment. The first is to manually record the information and so far we have welcomed many volunteers to undertake this task. If you would like to get involved then you can sign up via this link.
The second part is to convert this information into a digital record that can eventually be embedded in a map! All very exciting. If you know your way around a computer key board, then maybe you could help with this very important task. Interested? Then sign up here.
At FBEC we know that many of the projects we promote in Brandwopod End entail working outdoors and an element of fitness. We do have plenty of other tasks for those of you that do not want, or feel able, to work outside in the elements!
Caring for Gods Acre and The Friends have been working on a fascinating project to records the inscriptions on the memorials in the cemetery and load this information onto an interactive map. We will also have the facility to imbed historic information we have discovered about some of those who lie beneath, or are remembered on, family memorials.
This is a job that requires patience, accuracy and an element of typing/computer skills. If you think you can help with this then follow this link to book a place. Full instructions will be given and its something you will either enjoy doing or not- so why not give it a try as it is completely free. Once you are happy with what you need to do, this task can be continued from home. Please bring a lap top if you have one and can easily transport it, but it is not essential.
No previous experience is needed.
Our March Litter Pick takes places this Saturday the 5th March. As usual this March we are taking part in the national Great British Spring Clean event that is organised by Keep Britain Tidy.
We will supply the pickers and bags, we just need your muscles ! Can we remind you that stout shoes are the order of the day and that children are welcome, but they must bring an adult with them.
Meet at 10am by the Lodge on the main drive.
Birmingham is undertaking surveys at the moment to see what the public think of their dealings with BCC staff etc. Last week the Friends took part with our views on our organisations interactions with Bereavements Service Department. Watch media sites- as they are reaching out via various organisations.
Members of the Friends spent a fruitful morning with Councillor John Cotton (Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety, Equalities and Bereavement Services) and Paul Lankester (Interim Assistant Director Regulation and Enforcement). Alison Fumagalli and Dawn Harding (Bereavement Services) arranged the meeting and we were able to view the Chapel interiors and several other areas in the cemetery. We thank them all for sparing the time in their busy work schedules but I am sure they agree that it was an interesting morning for us all.
Whilst in the cemetery we all paid a visit to the small War Graves area which is being refurbished by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission team, as it had become a little shabby. We await the finished article with anticipation as there will be new turf and perennial planting, in line with all CWGC maintained sites.
THURSDAY 27TH JANUARY IS A DATE FOR QUIET REFLECTION.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2022
There will be a commemoration event at Millennium Point on Sunday 20th.
Birmingham’s annual civic commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day will be hosted at Millennium Point next week.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal, will lead the event on Sunday (30 January 2022) which this year has the theme of One Day. The event is free, open to all and starts at 2pm.
Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions, as well as other genocides around the world.
One Day is the theme for this year’s event, in the hope there may be one day in the future with no genocide. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the past, empathise with others today and take action for a better future.
This year’s programme will feature a candle-lighting ceremony as well as testimony from Mindu Hornick MBE, who will talk about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, plus performances from violinist Simone Schehtman, Birmingham’s Young Poet Laureate Fatma Mohiuddin and the city council’s choir.
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Muhammad Afzal, said: “Holocaust Memorial Day is an opportunity for everyone to pause, reflect and learn lessons from the past and apply them to the present day, to create a safer, better future.
“This year we will be able to come together to light a candle and remember victims of atrocities and genocides around the world, as well as those who are still sadly losing their lives through war, conflict and hate crime. I hope as many people as possible will join us Millennium Point on 30 January.”
Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities at Birmingham City Council, will be hosting the event and give a short speech.
This event will also be recorded and shared via the city council’s social media accounts afterwards.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2021 is Be the light in the darkness. It encourages everyone to reflect on the depths humanity can sink to, but also the ways individuals and communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide.
These are the current times advised today. Please do check the BCC site nearer the time to confirm.
Christmas and New Year opening 2020/21-Cemetery grounds will be open to visitors as follows :
Christmas Eve Thursday 24th December – 8.30am – 4.00pm
Christmas Day Friday 25th December – 10am – 4pm
Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th December – 10am – 4pm
Monday 28th December 10am – 4pm
New Year’s Day Friday 1st January – 10am to 4.00pm
Today at 11am on Armistice Day a few of us gravitated to the Cross of Sacrifice in the cemetery and observed the 2 minute silence. We were joined a little later by this gentleman who stood, at salute, for a full 2 minutes. Afterwards he exchanged a few words with several of us at the cross and explained that he had done his National Service in the 50’s and that he was also wearing his fathers medals. It made the moment very meaningful.