Thank you to the Wild Flower Society for two generous grants that enabled us to run creative wildflower art journaling workshops and a children’s wildflower exploration session at Martineau Gardens.

A special thank you to Holly, whose fantastic creativity and botanical knowledge brought the sessions to life and made them so interesting and engaging for everyone. And thank you, too, for capturing the sessions so beautifully with such a wonderful collection of photographs.

The first grant supported a series of creative wildflower art journaling workshops, bringing together volunteers to explore the gardens, learn about local wildflowers and plants, and get creative.

Participants developed their confidence in plant identification and botanical observation, while experimenting with drawing, painting, botanical inks and printing techniques. They also explored the folklore, recipes, medicinal uses and ecological importance of different plants.

At the heart of the workshops was the creation of personal wildflower journals – ongoing records of observations, artwork and learning, encouraging participants to keep exploring long after the workshops ended.

The second grant enabled us to run a child-led wildflower exploration workshop as part of our summer playscheme, Wild Play at Martineau Gardens.

Children explored the gardens, discovering local wildflowers and plants and learning to notice their colours, shapes, textures and structures. They then created their own wildflower journals using natural and craft materials, experimenting with painting and botanical printing, including making prints from leaves.

It was wonderful to see how absorbed the children became: all of the children who came to the morning session returned for the afternoon and stayed for the rest of the day!

Across both projects, the combination of outdoor exploration, creativity and informal learning gave participants the opportunity to slow down, look closely, ask questions and connect with the natural world.

Thank you to the Wild Flower Society for helping us make these experiences possible, and for supporting creative, hands-on ways for people of all ages to discover and appreciate the wildflowers and plants around them.

For two weeks in the summer holidays, we ran a fun-filled playscheme – Wild Play at Martineau Gardens – for children aged 8 to 12. The children were all on income-based free school meals, with many also living in temporary accommodation. The playscheme was part of ‘Bring it on Brum!’ – funded by the DfE’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme – and was delivered by our Education Team alongside ROAM, plus other sports and arts practitioners.

The children took part in a wide range of activities, including:

• Planting and nurturing a sensory garden
• Orienteering and treasure hunts
• Forest school crafts
• Outdoor cooking
• Minibeast hunting and pond dipping
• Den building in the woods
• Football skills
• Visiting Priory Tennis Club and Edgbaston Stadium
• Bat crafts
• Wildflower journalling
• Card and board games

The children were also provided with a healthy daily lunch from our chef Andy, and parents were invited for a special celebratory lunch each Friday, provided by Chapter Restaurant.

Everyone had a fantastic time and the children were brilliant – they were even incredibly keen to help us water the plants every day during this very hot, dry weather!

“The positive impact of the playscheme is huge in so many ways, from visiting the Priory Tennis Club and touring the cricket ground to learning new skills and making new friends. It was summed up for me when the children in temporary accommodation were dropped back at home and a staff member there said ‘What have you been doing with them? They are coming home so happy!’.” Jenni Fryer, Martineau Gardens CEO

If you would like to help us to fund healthy food for next year’s playscheme, we are thrilled to have been chosen as a cause for Tesco’s instore Fruit and Veg Grants Programme! Voting is open now and will run until the end of November 2026.

http:// bringitonbrum.co.uk 

www.roam.org.uk/ready-to-roam

www.chapteredgbaston.co.uk

https://www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/communities/fruit-and-veg-grants

Tesco Fruit & Veg Grants:

To vote, you will need to make a purchase within store of any value. You will then receive a token to place in the box for our cause. The project with the highest number of votes across your region will receive £1,500, the second placed project £1,000, and the third placed project £500. Here’s a list of stores taking part in the voting on our project:

• 5207 Birmingham Frankley Express B31 5NJ
• 5386 Birmingham Bournville Esso Express B30 1PA
• 6119 Selly Oak Bristol Road Esso Express B29 6BA
• 6227 Birmingham Springhill Superstore B18 7BH
• 6299 West Heath Birmingham Express B31 3LD
• 6602 Handsworth Oxhill Express B21 9RR
• 6636 Birmingham Bristol Road Express B29 6BE

Neva and her Dad visited Martineau Gardens during the half term holidays and told us that she would like to raise money for us as part of her school project.

She’s going to be popping in on Saturdays to help us out with some watering, and her Dad has made a fundraising page for her.

Thanks, Neva!

Donating through JustGiving is quick, easy and completely secure. Every penny goes straight to Martineau Gardens, helping us continue the work we do for the community.

You can donate here

ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Fri 12 June, 17.00 Edgbaston, Birmingham

Cricket parking at Martineau Gardens, 27 Priory Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B5 7UG

All evening parking ticket £25.00 (£27.80 inc Eventbrite fee). Cricket match ticket not included.

Parking ends 30 minutes after the match concludes.

Secure your parking spot now for easy access to the venue: Parking on 12 June

Regular visitors to the garden can expect to see a few changes when they next arrive. At this time of year, our volunteers would naturally be hard at work preparing for the Spring Celebration event on Saturday May 16^th, but there have been a few projects to add into the mix.

What a difference a few weeks make! The appearance of snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils and the hint of the garden beginning to reawaken has really helped to lift spirits. A few dry days have made a world of difference – the wet weather has meant we haven’t been able to do much weeding, and the winter pruning has been a bit sporadic.

We’ve been informed that Cadent will be replacing the gas pipes outside Martineau Gardens, starting on Tuesday, 23 February. The work is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete.

During this period, there may be days when parking at the gardens is unavailable, as the work will affect our car park entrance. At this stage, it’s unclear whether work will take place over the weekends.

If you’re planning a visit, we recommend using public transport where possible. If you need to use our car park, please check with us beforehand to confirm whether it will be accessible on the day of your visit.

We’ll keep you updated as we receive more information. Thank you for your understanding.

Saturday 9 May 2026

Fancy learning about the buzzing world of bees?

Join us for a Beekeeping Taster session at Martineau Gardens. It’s a great chance to discover how these incredible insects work and try on a beekeeper’s suit for a close-up with the bees. Perfect for anyone curious about nature and eager to give beekeeping a go, all in a friendly, relaxed setting.

When: 9 May 2026

Time: 9.45am – 4.00pm (approx.)

Where: Martineau Gardens

Cost: £98.22 per person

Read more: Beekeeping taster session

During January and February, Martineau Gardens will be open on Saturdays from 12-3pm.

Here are some of the things we’re doing at the moment to give you some inspiration on keeping out and about in your garden for the next month.