The top two photos show cross sections of a couple of the Poplars removed along the Broad Lane boundary. The log pile represents the trees that have been removed and cut into sections. All of these logs will be chipped and used as Biomass to fuel power stations- nothing will be wasted.
Nesting is now over for this year- so we have been able to restore/cut the hedges in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance back to their neat and tidy state.
Our thanks to the staff from Idverde who have undertaken this task on our behalf. As the hedge is now mature cutting and shaping it represents a major piece of work. It is now beyond the Friends so we rely on assistance to keep everything ship shape.
The Friends still cut and maintain the hedge in the adjacent small War Graves area.
Hi all, as you hopefully all know- the Friends will be working with Bereavement Services to host a morning Heritage Event in the Cemetery on September 8th commencing at 10am. The link below takes you to the official site where you can check out everything in your area and plan your week visiting Open Events. We are listed !!
Following our adventures with the shears…..we moved on to a bit of weeding and pruning in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance. No shears in use on this hedge as it is now mature and used by nesting birds! Hopefully they will all have fledged soon, as the hawthorn hedge is desperately in need of smartening up but we must remember that the prime reason for this hedge was to increase biodiversity in the cemetery.
There has recently been some social media comment highlighting some areas of the cemetery that appear to be unmown. This has been reported to Bereavements Services but when FBEC committee members went to look they were also concerned….. but, it was a far from a simple issue.
You will see from the photo above that the growth is not in fact grass (you can see the narrow path has been mown) but it is actually weed growth on individual graves.
Our understanding is that these areas are are normally treated with weed inhibitor but this year it has been ineffective- possibly because of the rain deluge that followed spraying and then this long hot spell? Not sure what they can do at this stage, as spraying now may kill whats grown, but not remove it ! When they offer a solution we will let you know.
Meanwhile, rest assured that the rest of the cemetery is spick and span…..as you can see below.
Our local BCC Tree Officer has been considering the plight of the exceptionally large Poplar Trees that lie directly behind some of the houses at the lower end of Sunderton Road. He has made the decision that these trees, although still beautiful, are nearing the end of their life and will unfortunately have to be removed for safety reasons. This removal will be happening soon- as health and safety issues take priority- but it is his intention to replace the trees with smaller more suitable species within the next year or so.
This work will compliment the tree husbandry being carried out in the cemetery to remove lower branches and dead limbs. It will also give an opportunity to plant new young trees to take over from the existing stock, some of which were planted over 100 years ago.
Those of us that live locally are only too aware of the damage caused when the recent heavy deluge overwhelmed the drains in the area. Severn Trent have given, and continue to give, advice on how to protect your property from these unusual occurrences when existing drains are unable to cope.
Bereavement Services are also trying to reduce run off from the cemetery, which lies on higher ground than some of the surrounding houses.
As a temporary measure they created a sandbag ‘wall’ along the most affected zone and to make a more permanent deterrent they have decided to build a ‘bund’ which will be planted with wild flowers.
Fortunately these occurrences are rare but they still cause a fair amount of damage and upset to those affected.
The sun shone on 5 members of 96th Birmingham Scouts who joined FBEC members to collect 11 bags of litter around the cemetery on Sunday 3rd June.
Our new Chairman, Julia, kept herself busy by washing the section markers along the main drive and assisting a number of members of the public in finding family graves !
Our thanks to people who kindly donate to FBEC when they see us at work in the cemetery. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Litter Pick- Sunday 3rd June-10.00 start . Why not come along and join the Friends at their quarterly clear up in the cemetery. We will supply litter picks and bags but need you to come in stout footwear and we recommend gloves as well.
Meet at the Lodge on the main drive and hopefully enjoy a sunny stroll !
