Category: Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery

New Tree Trail

Tomorrow represents the start of research work, by the Committee of FBEC,  to design and produce a new ‘Tree Walk’ leaflet for Brandwood End.

It is several years since our original tree walk, which has been extensively used- but some of the included trees have fallen foul of the wind or disease and we felt it was time to feature trees across a wider area of the cemetery.

Once we have decided on the trees to be included and the format we will then have to bid for funding to produce a leaflet, so watch this space! (Or of course you could sponsor this project!)

 

Update-From Brownhills to Brandwood: Thomas William James and the Pity of War

Some of you may remember that our committee member, Barrie Simpson, and others were making efforts to get official recognition for Thomas William James.

We have included a link to the Official site which details, at length, the history behind these efforts. It is a long but extremely interesting  story……but everyone’s efforts have been rewarded!

Memorial Safety Testing.

We have been informed by Bereavement Services Department that the safety testing of Memorials is due to be restarted and will focus on Sections 35,36,37 and 38

Notification signs have been erected in all the above areas. They have asked us to remind Grave Owners/next of kin, that they should advise the office in Kings Norton Cemetery, by written letter (As signatures will be checked with original deeds) if they have changed address.

Unfortunately many people omit to update addresses when they move, so advising them of any safety work required to their relative’s grave is impossible. This often results in upset as when they do visit the grave they find that  safety issues have resulted in the ‘staking’ or  ‘laying down’ of the Headstone.

PLEASE CONTACT KINGS NORTON CEMETERY IF YOU HAVE CHANGED ADDRESS and are responsible for a grave in Brandwood End, especially in the Sections mentioned above.

Members attend AGM……and eat loads of beautiful home made cake!

On behalf of FBEC can we thank the members that gave up their time to attend our Annual AGM. Yet again we had a good supply of home made cake, which was consumed following the formal meeting- when members had the opportunity to chat to the committee.

Following the election of committee members, the elected committee is as follows:

Officers Chairman- Jane Edwards (Also acting as Secretary). Vice Chairman- Coral Howard, Treasurer and Membership Secretary- Julian Pritchard.

Committee Members- Barrie Simpson, Philip Brown, Carola Klein, Adrian Harris , Julia Griffin, Sarah Courbet, Brian Rai, Nicola Clarke (Idverde).

FBEC Annual AGM

The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery will be holding their annual AGM on Thursday 13th April in the Conference Room at St Dunstans Church, Kings Heath. 10.30 start. Tea and coffee plus cake will be available! Everyone welcome. At the AGM a report on the Friends activities during the past year will be available and the Treasurer will submit a copy of the accounts.

The Great British Spring Clean

Ten volunteers joined together today to carry out the usual quarterly ‘Litter Pick’ in Brandwood End Cemetery. This Spring we are yet again taking part in the Keep Britain Tidy campaign and their theme is ‘The Great British Spring Clean’

Between everyone- 22 bags of litter were collected ! The bag numbers were higher than usual as storm Dorris had managed to whip lots of flower paper across the site! We started at 10am and drew to a close at 11.30am when a Birmingham City Council bin lorry arrived (bang on time) to take all our collected rubbish away!

Our thanks to all our volunteers (even our tiny new member) for coming along to support this event. The sun shone throughout, so it was a lovely morning and enjoyed by everyone.

42 Amazing Redwoods!

Every time I visit Brandwood End Cemetery, no matter the weather, I marvel at our magnificent avenue of Redwoods. Today, for the first time, I actually counted them! There are 23 on one side of the main drive and 19 on the other. I suspect that we have the most beautiful ‘avenue’ of  42 mature Redwoods in the Midlands? I know that the Friends of Kings Norton Park  are slowly developing their own ‘Redwood Avenue’ but suspect none of us will be about to see them reach the size of those in the Cemetery.

Great British Spring Clean- Saturday 4th March 10-11.30am.

Keep Britain Tidy are again heading up a anti litter campaign this year, so we have decided to dedicate our MARCH 4th LITTER PICK to this cause.

Please come along and help us to keep the cemetery free of flower paper and blown litter following the recent storms. Meet at the Lodge on the main drive at 10am till 11.30 and enjoy a stroll around this beautiful green space whilst collecting litter to boost this Great British Spring Clean campaign.

We will provide litter pickers and bags but advise strong footwear and gloves. Under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult.

Adults- do you want a bit more detailed Hedgehog information?

FBEC have now enjoyed several family Hedgehog events, delivered on our behalf by Birmingham Park Ranger Service (Jan and Dean) and the Wildlife Trust (Emma). We are coming towards the end of this enormously enjoyable project that seems to have captured the imagination of local schools and residents.

On Monday the 20th March from 7-8pm at Park House in Kings Heath Park we will be holding an adults only event, to cover some of the more technical details relating to the  why the well loved Hedgehog is declining in most areas of the UK.

Places are  FREE but limited, so please reserve your place via this link.

Final Family Hedgehog event !

Today was the final Family Hedgehog Event in Brandwood End Cemetery as part of our ‘Help for Hedgehogs’ Heritage Lottery funded project. We still have plenty of activities planned but they will be aimed mainly at adults, to encourage them to understand more about the decline of Hedgehogs and what they can do to improve the environment within their gardens to attract them.

Today, despite the inclement weather, we were joined by between 30 and 40 ‘Hedgehog Heroes’ who undertook a number of activities. The more hardy amongst them joined Dean the Ranger and Emma from the Wildlife Trust on a walk through the cemetery to demonstrate how to create a log pile.  All the logs had been drilled with small holes to allow bugs to hid within them providing good food for waking Hedgehogs.

Inside activities included making ‘plate’ hedgehogs to take home and name pledge spikes for our large demonstration Hedgehog!

 

 

 

 

Today we have ‘Bug Life’ to thank for the supply of Bug Hotels which were taken home by visitors to deploy in their gardens. Our thanks again to SHED, based at Kings Heath Park, for making some more Hedgehog houses that were also snapped up by families eager to encourage our spiked friends. Follow this link to more photographs taken today.

By now the rain had started but it didn’t deter those keen for information!