Category: photographs

National ‘Make a difference day’

Make a Difference Day today...to celebrate volunteers and what they bring to their community.
The Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery would like to highlight all the volunteers that give their time in the cemetery. Yes, it helps the overall look of the cemetery but you all do so much more for each others mental health and physical wellbeing. A win win all round.
Also a shout out to those that follow our facebook site and jump to help others with queries, searching for graves etc. Well done to all of you and we hope you get as much reward from your interactions as all of the FBEC Committee do. Keep doing what you are doing.
Here are just a few of our volunteer groups but there are many more who help us in Brandwood End Cemetery:
Grave Gardeners
Corporate ‘grave clearing’ volunteers
Poppy Crossers
Tree Guardians
Headstone photographers
Data base champians
Researchers
Civilian Garden maintainers
Litter Pickers
Committee members
………. and many others who help as and when they can with whatever needs doing.
PLEASE KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND THANK YOU ALL.

Seasons Greetings to all our supporters

The Friends and the cemetery  have had a wonderful year with many more volunteers than in previous years, mainly working on our special 20th Anniversary Grave Revealing and Recording Project. Nearly every month in 2025 our volunteers contributed in excess of 120 hours between them, which is the equivalent to 3 full time additional ground staff. 

The photographs below show just a few of the volunteers (community  and corporate groups) that have pitched in to clear shrubs, take photographs, create data bases, litter pick, marshall events, lead walks, plant trees, liaise with schools, apply for grants, research, honour the fallen and generally keep the community involved and informed.

We can’t forget Bereavements Service staff both on the ground and in Kings Norton office. Without their co operation we would not be able to achieve as much as  we do.

Seasons Greetings to you all and let’s hope that 2026 is as productive as 2025 has been.

Looking back

In 2021, as part of our Heritage Open Week, we ran a session that enabled members of the public with any sort of camera, from professional to phone, to join a group to learn more about photographic composition. It was well received and we thought you may like to have access to the group results from the album we kept. Please follow the link below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9Qz1gRAJ5cxKADNg9

If this is something you would like to be involved in in future, then please e mail us at:

friendsofbec@gmail.com

Aerial views…..

Our thanks to a local drone operator who shared these magical views with us.

In the following higher shot you are able to get a small insight into the amazing trees within Brandwood End. We are hoping to arrange a walk around the cemetery with Dean, our local Ranger but as local people will know- their time is very much at a premium.

I hope the residents of Kings Heath realise the amazing green space that sits quietly on their doorstep. Luckily for us, the local wildlife are well aware of their opportunities and the cemetery is home to Muntjac deer, Foxes, Hedgehogs, Squirrels,Woodpeckers, Owls, birds of prey……….and many species of familiar birds.