Our thanks to our volunteers who helped at our March Litter Pick. The first one of the year is always a good one, as we have lots of wind blow items to clear away. Spring has sprung in some areas!!
Category: Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery
Heavy winds take their toll.
Very sad news that we have lost yet another tree to sodden ground and high winds. This time the tree was a Cedar just down from the Chapels. This tree was well over 120 years old so is a sad loss. It had begun to snap and tilt and so became a danger.
What was fascinating was to watch the removal of the remaining timber after the Tree Surgeons had done their work.
Unfortunately, due to the age of many of the trees in Brandwood End, this is a sight we are going to see more frequently- so we need to concentrate on slowly replacing and increasing the existing tree stock. As well as helping to improve air quality, these trees and their roots aid absorption of water and slow the flow of surface water in the cemetery. Recently this has been an issue to neighbouring properties,
WE NEED MORE TREES IN THIS URBAN GREEN SPACE.
Adjacent site AGM-Jasmin Fields.
Lying just across Broad Lane, almost adjacent to the cemetery, is Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve. Their AGM is on Tues. March 3rd at 3.30pm in Park House, Kings Heath Park.
The Friends Of Jasmin Fields and The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery share many of the same aims and interests. Both sites share wildlife that moves between them and both sites represent a green space in an urban area. If you have an interest in the plans for this site, or feel you would like to know more, please pop along on the 3rd and support their efforts.
March 7th, a date for your diary.
Please join the Friends for their first Litter Pick of 2020.
10am, meet at the Lodge. We have the bags and the pickers, but please do wear suitable footwear and clothing. Gloves are advisable.
Yet another tree hit by high winds!
I am afraid we have lost several other trees in the recent high winds. One came down very close to the Lodge, luckily it appears it didn’t cause any damage.
both trees were quite large but have now been cut into manageable pieces. It is hard to tell if any grave stones have been damaged by the tree shown but we will certainly have to re-site our section marker!
It is a sad fact that many of the trees in the cemetery are over 120 years old, and so reaching the end of their lives (Not all trees live as long as Oaks). They are regularly tested for the strength of their trunks but in both these cases it was the sodden earth that failed to hold on to the weight of the tree above- an issue that can’t be tested for!
Interesting addition to a tree!!
This may look as if someone has just wedged a rake into this tree and gone off for their cup of tea…..
The truth is a little stranger. This rake was undoubtedly propped here many years ago by a member of staff but for whatever reason it was never retrieved. It is in a not often visited area of the Cemetery and over many seasons the tree grew, absorbing the rake within its growth! The wooden stale has long ago rotted away. Recently Birmingham Trees for Life published a similar item but instead of a rake it was……a bike. Check it out on their site.
2020 Litter Pick Dates
Please note these dates in your diary. The Friends will be in Brandwood End at 10am till 11.30am on each day with bags and litter pickers and we hope some of you will join us to help keep Brandwood End looking spic and span.
Sat 7th March,
Sunday 7th June,
Sat 5th September,
Sun 6th December.
Meet outside the Lodge on the main drive. Our March event will be part of the national Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
Victorian Glass
We thought you may want to see this beautiful section of one of the windows in our Chapels again. The sight of it always brightens our day.
Recent storm damage could have been worse!
Locally in Kings Heath there was a fair amount of damage caused by the recent storm, so it was with some trepidation that Ground Staff in the cemetery made their Monday morning site inspection.
Lots of small branches littering the site were removed, but the larger tree shown above will take a little more time! Luckily it is in an area away from roads and pathways but until it is removed it is difficult to see if grave stones have been damaged.
Polish War Graves remembered
Just prior to Remembrance Sunday, the Friends placed Polish flags on 2 adjacent War Graves in Brandwood End. We were especially pleased to tell members that the flags had come all the way from Poland , brought back for us by a Polish National.
You can imagine how heartened we were when we visited those graves earlier this week and found that both now had ribbons encircling them.
We would love to get in touch with the Polish community and those involved in this act of Remembrance. If anyone knows who we can contact, please can you e mail us on friendsofbec@gmail.com