Category: Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery

Annual AGM

On the 7th of April the Friends held their Annual AGM, but this year it was a bit different as we were able to hold it in the Lodge at Brandwood End. Our thanks to all our members that attended and also to Dawn and her staff at Bereavement Services for their support to make this possible.

We have had a busy year and achieved a lot, as well as strengthening our links with other cemetery and history groups. Why not have a quick look at what we have been up to?

FBEC – AGM 2022 – our year 2021/22

It has been a year of highs and lows with Covid, but we also sadly lost Anne Courbet. Anne had been a founder member of the Friends and up until the last few weeks of her life she had still played a part in our organisation. We are pleased to say that her daughter, Sarah, has agreed to become a Patron of the Friends so the Courbet name will remain part of FBEC.

What will our next year bring?  Our Chairman’s report is also available via this link for those who couldn’t make the AGM. The Treasurers report will soon be available and posted via a link on this web site.

Can you type and use a computer- looking for a volunteer project?

At FBEC we know that many of the projects we promote in Brandwopod End entail working outdoors and an element of fitness.  We do have plenty of other tasks for those of you that do not want, or feel able, to work  outside in the elements!

Caring for Gods Acre and The Friends have been working on a fascinating project to records the inscriptions on the memorials in the cemetery and load this information onto an interactive map. We will also have the facility to imbed  historic information we have discovered about some of those who lie beneath, or are remembered on, family memorials.

This is a job that requires patience, accuracy and an element of typing/computer skills. If you think you can help with this then follow this link to book a place. Full instructions will be given and its something you will either enjoy doing or not- so why not give it a try as it is completely free. Once you are happy with what you need to do, this task can be continued from home. Please bring a lap top if you have one  and can easily transport it, but it is not essential.

No previous experience is needed.

 

 

Memorial Recording restarts in Brandwood End.

Come along and help record the inscriptions on the headstones in Brandwood End. You can also learn what they really mean and how word styles have changed over the years.

Dates are now available for the whole of the summer but you do need to book a place as numbers are restricted. Once you take part in this event, organised by Caring for Gods Acre, you will want to come again.

These sessions are free, just book your place here.

 

 

Early ‘Great Spring Clean’.

Thank you to the 19 volunteers who helped remove 27 bags of ‘rubbish’  from the cemetery. Sadly lots of the rubbish consisted of windblown artificial flowers that had been swept far from their original graves by wind and squirrels. Our message is MAKE SURE ANY FLOWERS OR OFFERINGS ARE WELL SECURED. If you, or someone you know, have a grave in the cemetery we would advise that you check that all is OK. We have no idea which graves wind blown flowers come from so they find a home on the nearest grave or in the bin if they are in a poor state.

Key Hill and Warstone Lane Cemeteries.

Oh how we wish we could secure the millions of funding that Key Hill and Warstone  Lane cemeteries have, as it has enabled them to carry out so much practical work and also improve their digital presence. The ability to hire professionals to achieve results can be seen from their web site below. We would recommend one of their tours….but we would also like to recommend our own events!

Friends of Key Hill Cemetery & Warstone Lane Cemetery in Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, Hockley. Established 2004 – Cemetery Research. Restoration , nonconformist, Hockley, Birmingham. Jewellery Quarter (wordpress.com)

Commonwealth War Grave area

Regular visitors to Brandwood End are aware that we have a large number of Commonwealth War Graves but for some unknown reason a small number are placed together in an area in Section 33. We have tried, as have Bereavement Services staff, to find the reason why these flyers have been buried together, when all the other  CWGC recognised graves are scattered throughout the cemetery. We are all unable to find any tie between them.

Following a recent visit from a representative of CWGC it was decided that the site needed to be refreshed, and we reported on the start of this work. This is an update and the turf is now in place. We suspect that not much will happen now until this turf has bedded in, but perennial planting should follow and continued maintenance by CWGC gardening staff.

Congratulations !

On the 6th February 1952 Princess Elizabeth at the age of 25, became Queen on the death of her father King George VI. Her Coronation in Westminster Abbey took place the following year on 2nd June 1953.
On 6th February 2022, Queen Elizabeth at the age of 95, will become the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking a 70-year reign.

Becketts Farm Shop Community Fund

You may remember that FBEC were asking you all to place your blue tokens in the box marked FBEC when you made purchases at Becketts Farm Shop. Over the last few months the tokens have increased and we were pleased to go along today to accept a cheque from Becketts Farm for our share of the funding, which amounted to £463 ! A big thank you to everyone that made the effort and a huge thank you to Becketts Farm for helping towards our next project.

Those of you that visit our Civilian Garden of Remembrance in section 33 will have noticed how shabby and worn our benches are so we will now have the funds to get them refurbished in time for the summer.  They are greatly used and have lasted us well but are in desperate need of TLC !

Thank you all again.