Category: Events

Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress visit Jasmin Fields

Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery joined other members of New Vision at an ‘Explore Jasmin Fields’ event last Saturday.  A similar event last summer was completely drowned out so we were dismayed when we started to set up in rain and wind! The wind was so strong that one or our gazebos briefly became a kite……but the wind soon dropped and the rain cleared and by starting time we had very acceptable weather.

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We were very pleased that the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress came along to open the event and stayed most of the morning. The Ranger Service and the Friends of Jasmin Fields, supported by New Vision, had arranged a circular walk of the nature reserve, pond dipping, cake icing, badge making, bike repairs and advice on security by the Neighbourhood Policing Team. The event gave local groups, including FBEC, the opportunity to make residents more aware of their activities and to enlist members for future events. Everyone agreed to had been a real success and well worth the effort by the volunteers.

If you have an interest in any of the local groups, especially Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery, please contact us via this site and we will add you to our e mail list to be advised of anything happening in our local community group areas. We all need your support at our events and it is so good to see local people interested in any of our sites.

Hedge gets first serious cut!

Those of you that follow this blog will know that just over a year ago pupils from St Albans Catholic Primary School joined Friends and volunteers to replace an ailing hedge around the Civilian Garden of Remembrance with a new hawthorn hedge.This peaceful area had been abandoned for many years until The Friends, with lottery support, restored it to a restful place to sit and enjoy. Initially we had surrounded the area with a beech hedge but the soil, being clay and waterlogged much of the year, did not support this species, so a major plan was put in place to replace it with a more tolerant hawthorn hedge.

20130811_15403020130811_154043This hedge has thrived and grown and had begun to look unruly, despite occasional trimming, so this weekend it had its first serious ‘cut’ and we are pleased to say it looks fantastic. This will only be its second winter coming up and already it is starting to look like a well established hedge.  I think you will agree from the photo’s above that the area looks inviting and is well cared for volunteers from FBEC.

If you feel you could help us at all with this ongoing task of weeding etc please contact us via our web site. Many hands make light work and there is always something to do.

 

Local community activity event -17 August

The Friends of Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve, supported by New Vision, are holding a local event to encourage residents to become members of local Friends Groups and support their community.  The event will run from 11am till 1pm on Saturday the 17th August on the main field area of Jasmin Fields, which can be accessed from Jasmin Croft or Bayston Rd, Kings Heath.

Misc 013The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery will be at the event to encourage people to support their cause, along with other local groups.

The Neighbourhood Policing Team will be security marking bikes and running repairs will be available from ‘Bike Fixers’

The Ranger service will be stream dipping and bug hunting and members of Jasmin Fields Friends will be leading a walk around the site and the canal area.  If you want to be sporty, Billesley Tennis Centre will be holding some activities and there will be various crafts for children to get involved in. There will also be a wood carver demonstrating her skills. Hopefully lots of local people will attend and all our groups will benefit from new members.

Local school children enjoy the cemetery trees!

Before the end of the summer term, pupils from Woodthorpe Junior and Infant school joined members of the Friends to investigate our ‘Tree Walk’ as part of their ECO week. The pupils, accompanied by members of staff, collected leaves and cones and did leaf and bark rubbings.20130722_111804 The school hopes to be working with us again in the Autumn term on a number of small projects. Woodthorpe has a newly instated Forest School area and a keen ECO group and the children were very enthusiastic and entered into the spirit of the activity despite occasional slight drizzle.

Hobbits and crafts!

The New Vision Community Board made its first appearance off site at the Middle Earth Weekend at the Shire Country Park (Sarehole Mill). Many people stopped to ask questions about the Brandwood End Cemetery and we hope, as a result we will see some new members to our already growing group. Please do think about joining The Friends (There is information on how to do this on our site). There is always strength in numbers and more members lead to more ideas as to how we can work with BCC to retain and improve the quality of this magical cemetery site.

 

Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery – AGM

FBEC held their AGM this evening at the Brandwood Centre. Unfortunately attendance was low but the evening was rounded off by a very interesting talk by the Reverend Douglas Wilkes on the Cemeteries of the Jewellery Quarter.
Neville Summerfield proposed a vote of thanks to Anne Courbet, who has been involved with FBEC since its inception and was currently serving as Chairman. Anne announced her intention to step down from her role and also from the committee but will continue to support FBEC and its future projects.
The elected committee members names, committee officers details and annual accounts will be displayed on this site following the first committee meeting on 1st May.

Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery – come and meet us at our AGM

Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday 11th April 2013 starting at 7.30pm prompt at The Brandwood Centre – you are most welcome to come and join us.  Come and meet the committee; find out what we have been up to this year and perhaps get involved.  Everyone is welcome – only paid up members have the right to vote though.  Tea and coffee will be provided for you to enjoy.

We hope to see you there!

Can you help keep our Cemetery clean and tidy? Yes you can, in just 90 minutes!

The Friends carry out four litter picks each year and we really need your help to keep the Cemetery tidy for family and visitors.  You don’t have to be a member just willing to help out for 90 minutes.  Litter pickers and bags are provided!  Please put the date in your diary and come along if you can.  All you need is sturdy shoes, gloves and suitable outdoor clothing!We meet at the Lodge at 10.00am and are generally finished by 11.30.

We are in need of all the help we can get to keep the Cemetery looking clean and tidy. If you can’t make March then these are our other dates:

Sunday 2nd June 2013
Saturday 7th September 2013
Sunday 1st December 2013

See you there?

Local children produce their drawings of Brandwood End Cemetery!

Just prior to Christmas 2012 New Vision Community Group were part of the Christmas Fayre at St Albans School. FBEC, as members of this group, ran a small competition for the pupils to draw what they saw and liked within Brandwood End Cemetery. These are the three prize winners.

This beautiful drawing of our Chapels was produced by Nancy McAndrew, who is 10 years old.

 

Maisey Cox, aged 9, has captured the   avenues of trees that make Brandwood End cemetery so beautiful.

 

 

 

Our final winner is just 5! Roman Addy has managed to pack so many things into his picture. Foxes, trees, angels, grave stones, mushrooms….and even a cat he saw!

Full marks for observation.

 

Each of the three winners will receive a prize of some items to use for their future artistic endeavours and their efforts will be displayed on our notice boards as well as here on our site.

We would like to thank them for taking the time to enter our competition.

Community Christmas Fayre

Members of FBEC will be at St Albans Catholic Primary School  PTA Christmas Fayre on Friday the 14th December. The event will run from 3.15pm till 5pm at the school in Bayston Road and FBEC will be promoting membership of The Friends and encouraging local people to visit  the site and take our Tree Walk.

This event is supported by New Vision, who aim to bring together voluntary groups in the area and increase each individual group’s membership by promoting community awareness.

Father Christmas will be arriving on site at about 3.30pm.