Category: Events

Poppy Cross Cemetery in place.

Every year Barrie Simpson goes beyond the call of duty and as well as organising the placing of a poppy cross on every war grave within Brandwood End  he also creates a ‘poppy cross cemetery’. Every War Grave is represented by a cross in a grid pattern laid out on the grass of the Public Grave area adjacent to the Cross of Sacrifice.

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Every year we encourage pupils from the two schools that lie on either side of the cemetery to come and read the information that is posted nearby and it hopefully becomes a discussion point- especially in this significant year.

Our thanks go to the staff of Wates Construction for helping with the placing of crosses on graves and S. Gascoigne and Sons for their kind donation to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal on our behalf.

 

Jasmin Fields Work Day

Sunday the 19th of October will see lots of activity at our local Nature Reserve of Jasmin Fields. Following the fire and destruction of the bridge walkway to the canal, the Friends and local Ranger will be relaying a pathway across this area. There will be litter picking, ‘Balsam Bashing’ , bulb planting and general tidying so they need as much help as possible.

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Please meet at the Farm gate entrance in Jasmin Croft at 10am.  There will be people on site from 10am-4pm so if you can drop in any time, they will welcome your help.

Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. Children under 16 must be supervised by an adult.

Heritage Open Event – A Great Success!

The sun shone through the trees during our Heritage Open Event held on Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the first world war and to remember all those involved.

This was the first time that Brandwood End Cemetery had featured in an Heritage Open Day event and we all agreed it had been a worthwhile experience.  Dawn and her team from Birmingham Bereavement Services worked with the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery to provide lots of interesting displays of memorabilia – and perhaps more importantly, tea and cakes!

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Doug Smith, ably assisted by his team, read short monologues of soldiers experiences and members of ‘Troop Aid’ raised over £100 for their very worthwhile cause.

The Friends  lead three successful  walks covering  a small number of graves significant in ww1, as well as chatting to members of the public who took the opportunity to come along and ‘show and tell’ their family items of ww1 memorabilia.

Our thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this a success IMG_7502 (800x590)and especially the members of the public who fitted our event in with so many others in the area today.

We met many new friends in the cemetery today and hope they will keep in touch with us via this web site.

A reminder that our Remembrance Service will take place at the Cross of Sacrifice on Sunday November 9th starting at 10.50am.

Bat Walk Reminder!

Explore the night with Brum Bats and the Ranger Service on a Bat walk through Jasmin fields Nature Reserve along the canal, through the cemetery to finish at Brandwood Pool.

Thursday 11th September 7.30-9pm meet at the Farm gate on Bayston Rd, facing Kinsey Grove B14 5AR

All ages welcome but under 16’s must be supervised.You will need to bring a Powerful torch and wear outdoor clothing and sturdy footwear.

Please contact the Ranger Service to book 0121 675 0937 – Spaces are limited so you will need to book in advance.

 

Heritage Open Event – Saturday 13th September

Cross of Sacrifice at Brandwood End CemetaryThe Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery and BCC Bereavement Service staff invite you to join them at a WW1 Heritage Open Event on Saturday 13th September between 11am and 2pm.

The days’ activities include:  grave walks led by FBEC members, memorabilia, photographs and a short talk by Doug Smith about the effects of the Great War on everyone involved. Join us for a cup of tea and a slice of ‘trench’ cake!

We would be very interested to see any WW1 family memorabilia that you may wish to share with us, especially anything linked to Brandwood End.

The first walk will start at 11am prompt. If you require any further information please contact us on friendsofbec@gmail.com

‘Trimming’ in the rain!

I am pleased to report that we have been able to give the hedge surrounding the Civilian Garden of Remembrance a well needed trim today. Its great to see how well established it has become and we hope that our recent hedge around nearby War Graves will follow suit!

IMG_7322 (800x600) I am afraid heavy rain throughout this exercise meant that we had to be very quick collecting hedge cuttings and possibly missed some, so take care.

We are always looking for help maintaining this garden area and especially removing the grass/weeds that grow under the hedges. If you could help FBEC with this – please contact us at                        friendsofbec@gmail.com 

 IMG_7323 (800x593)I am sure the pupils of St Albans Primary School will be proud of their planting efforts as their hedge has helped create a private and peaceful area for quiet reflection.

Watch this space!

Yesterday the large Oak tree on ‘Oak Tree Island’ was felled and today the stump was ground out in readiness for the installation of a World War One Memorial on the site.

The tree had fallen foul of a serious fungal disease which had weakened its trunk and made it a danger. Time moves on and trees don’t last forever but we will all be sad that it has gone. A replacement tree on the same spot would not be suitable as there may be fungal spores within the soil.Brandwood End (1)

Oak Tree Island has long been used as a ‘signpost’ to other areas of the cemetery from the main drive. Hopefully the memorial to be installed at this point will take on this role.

Monyhull Community Event

Lots of local residents attended the Community Event at Monyhull Church today and members of FBEC  spoke to many people about the future of the chapels and the condition of the cemetery in general. It is obvious that local residents are concerned about the deteriorating condition of the chapels and are keen to know if a solution is in sight.

The Brandwood Centre, Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve, Brandwood Pool and  Brandwood Forum were also represented at the event and were able to gather a few additional volunteers to help at future events on their sites.

20140705_145805 (800x600)In these times of financial constraints it is even more vital for local volunteer groups to support each other and share man power and equipment. Working together we can also spread the word about the very varied volunteering opportunities each group may have to offer.

Today’s event showed yet again what a varied and vibrant area Brandwood is !

Bugs, beasties and pond life.

Year 3 and 6 pupils and Teachers from Woodthorpe J and I school enjoyed a day long visit to Brandwood Pool to investigate the ‘bugs and beasties’ both on the land and in the water.

20140703_103326They were joined by members of the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery and Brandwood Pool who helped supervise the pond dipping.

The pupils were fascinated by the large number of frogs that were around the area and also the larvae in the pond. Luckily the sun shone all day and they all agreed that they would love to come back for another days adventure around the pool. The visit was arranged as part of the schools ECO week and it is hoped it will give the pupils a better understanding of biodiversity and the important part even the smallest creature has to insure the future of the planet.

Local Grant success!

New Vision have managed to secure yet another small grant from Waterloo Housing Association towards the completion of the woodland pathway within Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve, started last year. Brandwood Forum also had access to a small grant which they  kindly contributed towards this project, so its all ready to go!

IMG_6165 (800x600)Last year members of the Friends of Jasmin Fields were assisted by Bournville College students under the supervision of the BCC Park Ranger Service. Hopefully the same system will happen this time.

Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve forms part of a circular walk taking in Brandwood End Cemetery and Brandwood Pool. The close proximity of these three sites  to the northern Stratford upon Avon Canal also form a wild life corridor.  Muntjac and Roe deer often move between all 3 sites and there is a healthy bat population. We suspect that they wont be using the new pathway!!