Category: Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery

Successful Local Community Get Together.

What a fantastic event, organised by Suze Cater and her team, to get all the local community groups from Kings Heath, Brandwood and Billesley together to showcase what they can offer to the public. It also gave a chance for us all, including FBEC, to network and see how we can work together in the future on projects and grant applications.

It gave us all an opportunity to meet the local Councillors and other members with influence in areas that could help the Friends of Brandwood End. A Sunday afternoon well spent by 4 of our committee members! We have had such a busy few days and we haven’t finished yet…….

Mobility ‘Rest and Reflect’ Trail.

For some months now the Friends have been working on a large project to highlight benches within the cemetery that might offer a peaceful setting and an interesting outlook. Suze and her team at ‘Our Scene’ have taken this idea and created a small trail within the cemetery but specifically one that is suitable for the less able who may use a wheelchair or a mobility scooter. Come along to the launch and try it out. We hope you like it as it will become part of something much bigger. Thank you ‘Our Scene’ for spurring us on with our idea.

Join together with the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery for the launch of a ‘Rest & Reflect’ trail between benches in a small area of the cemetery. (Meet by the Lodge just off Woodthorpe Road B14 6EQ). The perfect way to start exploring if you are new to the cemetery. The trail is designed with accessibility at its heart. Chatty Chatty Brum Brum will be serving some free refreshments at our little early evening launch party. Come and have a go (paper versions available at the event). All welcome!

Lodge Ramp- flower beds.

Those of you that visit the cemetery often may have noticed that the 2 flower beds adjacent to the Lodge were historically refreshed twice a year by Birmingham Parks and Nursery with plants. Pre-covid this practice stopped as part of funding cuts and the Friends have tried to take on planting in this area, but manpower and cost has made it impossible for us, so with help from Greg and Sarah of Valley Contractors,  who kindly donated some turf, we will be able to extend the grass area and get rid of this weed ridden patch.

We have also recently installed 3 planters and we are lucky to have ‘screen wall curtains’  that change with the seasons and are crocheted by a lovely local team. They both require less maintenance by the Friends !

Great gardening day.

Despite the heat, the Friends were joined by 6 extra volunteers to tidy up the Civilian Garden of Remembrance and replenish the 3 planters by the Lodge.

Our special thanks to Brian from ‘Friends of Lifford Reservoir’ for sparing time from the work they do at the Reservoir.

Lots of rain in May and sun in June had made everything, especially in the flower beds, burst into life. Our thanks to Josie and Bren for taming the growth !

Extra thanks to our Chairman Julia for visiting the Birmingham Parks and Nursery site at Cofton and filling her car with Geraniums. They are now all deployed in planters and around the Rose beds in the Civilian Garden.

There is still a lot to do but we hope to have a team from Nat West Bank on site helping soon, so watch out for news of that.

  

Gold for Birmingham Parks and Nursery.

Birmingham Parks have won Gold yet again at Chelsea for their beautiful display. We believe this is the 11th year running that this has been achieved. The Friends and other volunteer groups were asked to provide photos of their Volunteers hard at work in City parks and cemeteries and we are pleased to see that our contributions had pride of place within the garden as a rolling display. Well done to everyone, especially the growers at Cofton Nursery, who often support the Friends with some of their fantastic blooms.

Woodthorpe Road closure

It would appear that, after having been pushed back a week, this has now been officially cancelled until a new date can be arranged.

It is understood that it is because there was a clash with workmen from the Gas company already being on site.

Local residents and shops etc have no news either way but all signs and kit have been removed.