Saturday the 5th was our last chance to get rid of as much Holly as possibly on the graves adjacent to the main drive. Once again, ably led by Josie, the volunteers did a magnificent job. Thank you all for giving your time. The improvement is obvious.
No more similar events till spring 2023 but it will be early in the year before nesting starts.
You may remember that the Friends were lucky enough to receive 3 community made planters complete with Wildflowers that we positioned near the Lodge and notice boards. We did get some wildflowers but were disappointed with the display.
A small team of volunteers have taken over the maintenance of these planters and today they were all emptied of the unsuitable soil and refilled with a better quality compost. (Not an easy job)
They are now ready for their Winter planting, so keep an eye out to see what appears. Our thanks again to Brightening Brandwood for providing the planters.
Yet another day with a fantastic team. AVOVE staff went above and beyond to clear a huge area of the cemetery that had been under shrubbery for many years.
Bit by bit graves were uncovered. Some of them had been buried under dense shrubbery for a long time but when dug out, they were remarkably intact and had been protected by years of pine needles.
Those of you that follow FBEC and the cemetery will know that we have been waging war on the advancing areas of Holly, Ivy and general shrubbery that got a strong hold in the cemetery during Covid. Last months tidy up was very successful so we are trying to squeeze a final assault before Winter sets in. Most of this clearance must be done now as the Spring heralds the nesting season and we want to leave shrubbery, especially Ivy, undisturbed. Pop in for as long as you like and give a hand. Stout footwear and gloves if possible. Bring your own tools if you wish but we have loppers and other items.
Our annual Service of Remembrance will take place at the Cross of Sacrifice on the main drive on Sunday 13th November 2022 at 10.45am.
A few weeks ago Josie Wall, and the Friends, put a shout out for help to remove acres of Holly that were taking over many areas of the cemetery- especially the main drive. Little did we know that 20+ people would turn up and spent hours clearing such a mountain of Holly and some Ivy !. Josie is showing the scale of one of the two piles volunteers removed.
The effect was obvious after 30 minutes, but 3 hours later it was amazing. The photograph above is a before. The one below is the same space afterwards.
Thank you all, The community stands up and shows its commitment yet again. We hope to do this again in November, which will probably be our last chance this side of Christmas. Watch this space.
Every year we rely on our amazing team of volunteers to place individual poppy crosses on the 350+ War Graves in Brandwood End. Today Gail, Damian, David and Sally made a start. This project will continue till 10th November, in time for Remembrance on Sunday 13th. Our thanks to you all.
If you can spare even an hour on the 15th please come along and help- anytime between 11am and 2pm. Stout footwear and gardening gloves if you have them, but we do have tools and some heavy-duty gloves. Many of the graves have no living relatives to visit and help clear self-set shrubs and trees, so we are hoping to be able to make a difference. This is always a rewarding experience as you can see the impact you make as graves ‘appear’ from the shrubbery. Brandwood End is a 53 acre site and has been used for burials since 1899. The days of 20+ on site Gardeners (as there used to be) have gone so we need to encourage community help with this never ending battle.
No words needed……(Thank you Julia Griffin for these lovely photos.)
