Article by Luke Upton, Localgiving

“Across Birmingham, many neighbourhoods face severe green deprivation, with people having little or no access to safe, inclusive green space. Small charities like Martineau Gardens quietly fill that gap, offering places of welcome, reducing loneliness and helping people reconnect with their community.”

For our next article spotlighting a recent recipient of a Community Matters Fund (Green Spaces 2026) grant from National Grid, we’ve travelled to Birmingham to find out about a fantastic project from Martineau Gardens. Luke Upton chatted with Juliette Green, their Environmental Education Lead and Fundraiser, about the gardens’ long history, their therapeutic horticulture programme and how new raised beds will help volunteers of all abilities garden side by side.

Luke Upton (LU): Thanks for your time today, Juliette. To start, could you tell us a little about the origins of Martineau Gardens and how the organisation has evolved over the years?

Juliette Green (JG): Martineau Gardens has its roots in the 1950s, when the site was part of the Martineau Teachers’ Centre, created to support and retain teachers in post-war Birmingham. By the 1960s it had become an environmental studies centre, offering schoolchildren hands-on learning across its rich mix of habitats.

Read more: Community Story: Martineau Gardens

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.

Apologies for the absence of a blog for the past couple of months. It’s been really hard work here for everyone over the summer, with a range of activities taking place in very hot weather.

Our annual playscheme went really well, with 40 plus children on site every day for two weeks, taking part in fun and educational activities. The kids got to enjoy trips to the Priory Tennis Club and Edgbaston Cricket Ground but certainly my favourite part was that the children planted our new sensory garden in the play area.

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.

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