Category: Litter Picks

Cleaner and Greener !

The Cleaner Greener campaign week is a little while off, but in Brandwood End we started today at our scheduled quarterly litter pick. It was great to see so many familiar faces but we did welcome a few new ones today who swelled our numbers to 20 including 4 little people !  There were 23 bags collected, and yet again a lot of the litter was flower paper. This March Litter pick is always our last chance to seek out wind blown litter under shrubbery and tangled in brambles. Once everything starts to grow it is all lost till next winter. Thank you to everyone that came along. The Friends really appreciate your support.

Happy smiling faces! That’s what the outdoors does for your mental health.

Great turn out for final litter pick of 2022

We were heartened to be joined by 13 supporters of FBEC in our final litter pick of 2022, especially when it would have been inviting to have stayed in the warm and dry! December days seem to be bright and sunny or dull and dank- today was the latter.

The total collection of 18 bags, again mainly windblown flower paper, took some finding under hedges and behind gravestones. It was noticeable today that there were many artificial flowers blown around the cemetery or redeployed and nibbled/pecked by squirrels and crows. Please do check your family graves, as we try to pop the newer flowers back on graves but have no idea where they have blown from so it could be that we have placed them on other graves nearby. Apologies, but they really do need to be secured against wind, Squirrel and Muntjac attack !

Thanks again to our volunteers.

Last Litter Pick of 2022

        LAST LITTER PICK OF 2022

        SUNDAY 4TH DECEMBER

        10AM TILL 11.30PM

We have the litter pickers, we have the bags, all we need is the manpower. This is our last chance to get all the windblown litter that the spring shrub growth will cover.

Meet at the Lodge.(Under 16 must be accompanied by an adult) 

Stout shoes and gloves recommended.

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.

March Litter Pick

Our March Litter Pick takes places this Saturday the 5th March. As usual this March we are taking part in the national Great British Spring Clean event that is organised by Keep Britain Tidy.

We will supply the pickers and bags, we just need your muscles ! Can we remind you that stout shoes are the order of the day and that children are welcome, but they must bring an adult with them.

Meet at 10am by the Lodge on the main drive.

Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve appeals to dog owners.

Can we remind everyone that the very local Jasmin Fields Nature Reserve is a haven for wildlife and welcomes dog walkers- but one of the volunteers, Pat, drew the lovely poster below. It is just a reminder that, as a dog owner, you have a responsibility to clear up behind your pooch.

Can we also remind everyone that you should be prepared to ‘leave no trace’ if you visit the Cemetery, Jasmin Fields or any other green open space. Please remove your rubbish. Take it home ! Bins are often overwhelmed so be prepared ! Can we also remind you to remove any flower wrapping paper if leaving flowers at a loved ones grave, as the paper helps the flowers blow from the grave in high winds.

Well attended Litter Pick.

The Friends are so pleased to have met so many new people today supporting our Litter Pick, as well as our stalwarts!

18 adults and 3 children collected 26 bags of litter. Most of it was flower paper- so can we remind everyone that if you are leaving flowers at a grave it would be helpful if you could remove all the paper, as the flowers degrade naturally….the wrappings don’t and the wind scatters it all to the edges of the cemetery.

If you leave a display of artificial flowers, please make sure it is well secured, as we found many bunches windswept around the grassland today. Our apologies if your flowers now adorn someone else’s grave but we have no idea where they truly belong, so we have deposited them on the nearest grave.

Thank you everyone for a job well done. Next litter pick will be Sunday 6th December (Weather permitting!)