Well done to the team from NIQ who made unbelievable inroads into shrubbery that has been obscuring graves for the last 10 to 15 years.
Well done to them all and we hope to welcome them again to assist us in this never ending task.
Eleven volunteers turned out on August 10th to help FBEC committee members continue their Grave Gardeners project. Lots done again but always plenty to do. Several graves can now be seen where previously all you could see was shrubbery. The pile to the left was removed to uncover these graves. You can see that there are more to reveal further along.
Our thanks again to Ray and Sue Howell for continuing their work in the Civilian Garden. They give a lot of their time to keep it looking as beautiful as it does.
As a small charity, the Friends depend on our supporters to help us with many of the projects we undertake. As those that follow FBEC will know, we are undertaking a long term Grave Gardening project to remove self set shrubs, Holly and Ivy from graves. We run regular volunteer sessions and members of the Friends also work in pairs on site when they can but without corporate groups to support us everything would take much more time.
Today we were joined by a team from HSBC in Birmingham. They spent all day on site working hard clearing two sections B4 CE and B6CE and you can see the finished effect above right.
This was just one of 4 large piles of leaves, sticks, weeds, self set shrubs and small trees that the team removed during the course of the day. By the time we left, the whole of B4 and B6 were looking far more ‘open’ and cared for. Thank you to all the volunteers from HSBC who worked really hard but were a joy to work alongside. Here’s to the next time !! A special thankyou to Anita for organising the HSBC side.
Busy day again for the Tree Surgeons, but this time just removing dead wood off some of the really high Pines on the main drive. Spot the man in the cage!!
June has ended up being a really busy month for the Friends. The started off with a Gardening session trying to clear some annoying Mares Tail weeds. I have to say, even we were surprised at the difference a few hours work by half a dozen people made. Thank you Volunteers.
We followed that up with a mornings litter picking and 12 volunteers managed a bag each. We are so pleased to see that the actual litter is mainly flower paper and not ‘dropped’ litter. Can we remind you again to take the paper off any flowers that you leave on loved ones graves. Well done everyone.
We still have several other events to attend, supporting other local groups and lots of preparation for our own July events! Watch this space……
We will be holding another Grave Gardening session on Saturday 1st June and welcome everyone, with or without green fingers! We do suggest that you wear boots and bring gloves and whilst we do have gloves and tools, we understand if you prefer to bring your own. The most useful will be loppers, shears. secateurs rakes and brooms. We will be working in the Civilian Garden but meeting at the Cross of Sacrifice on the main drive at 11am. The session runs till 2pm but feel free to go when you wish.
Three teams working in the cemetery recently. Three ladies trying to give the Rhododendrons a chance on the main drive as they were choked with brambles.
Team two were freeing our recently planted perimeter trees from a tangle of very long and strong brambles.
Team three were tidying the Civilian Garden and laying rock salt on the paths to clear weeds.
Thanks to Malcolm for taking charge. We also have to add our thanks to Gill for treating the pathways in the Civilian Garden of Remembrance with Rock Salt to get rid of the weeds.
We had a great turn out today for our ‘Grave Gardeners’ session. Volunteers drawn from several of our supporting groups , regular volunteers and some new recruits worked from 12 noon till 3pm and cleared a large area on the main drive of small Holly self setters. This was an area that we cleared larger plants from about 5 years ago but smaller saplings had begun to take over again.
After a quick tea break we carried on along the Broad Lane side of the cemetery, removing ground level brambles that were threatening to engulf or young Cherry Trees, taking extra care not to venture near any areas that might hide nesting birds. Our next date should be Saturday 13th April but watch this page for more details.
FINAL REMINDER, SATURDAY 30TH MARCH 1pm-3pm- This Saturday the 30th March we will be holding a Gardening Session to try and clear some more Brambles and self set Holly in the Cemetery. Unlike our usual sessions that target large areas of mature Holly and Ivy, we are concentrating on areas where we represent no risk of disturbing nesting birds.
We will meet at the Cross of Sacrifice at 1pm and helpers are free to spend as much or as little time as they wish on site but we will be completing our work by 3pm to allow for the closing of the site at 4pm. We have the tools and some heavy duty gloves but would advise that you wear heavy duty footwear and warm clothing. We will be moving away from the area of the Cross but should be visible in our High Viz. If we are not there, try turning left at the WW1 memorial, passing the fenced area and looking to your right.(Section 38RC)
This map may help.
We will be running another Grave Gardeners session to remove some Brambles that are choking some young trees and also some small Holly self setters in the cemetery.
The Friends and volunteers will be on site from 12 noon till approx. 3 pm on Saturday March 30th. Meet by the Cross of Sacrifice on the main drive. You are welcome to pop in at any time but if it is after 12 noon you may have to search for our ‘A’ frame as we will be disbursed around the cemetery. Most people arrive at the start but only stay as long as they want and do as much or little as suits them.
Hope to see a few of you there. We have the tools, although you are welcome to bring your own. Rakes, brooms, secateurs and loppers always welcome. We also have some heavy duty gloves, but again you may prefer to bring your own.