This website uses cookies to allow us to see how the site is used. The cookies cannot identify you. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with this. If you want to use the sites without cookies or would like to know more, you can do that here https://martineau-gardens.org.uk/resources/privacy/
Season greetings to all!
Martineau Gardens is open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm (closed bank holidays) – over the Festive Period our seasonal opening ours are as follows:
Friday 20 December 2019, closing at 4pm and re-opening on Monday 6 January 2020.
We wish all our supporters, visitors and volunteers a very Happy New Year.
The wet weather has brought out plenty of fungi this Autumn. A beautiful photograph of Upright coral fungus (Ramaria stricta) taken by Wildlife Recorder Andrew Curran is displayed here.
A courageous band of children (from the Woodcraft Youth movement) aged 10 – 12 years old slept out until midnight at Martineau Gardens, braving the elements of a wintery night to raise awareness and funds for two charities: Martineau Gardens and St Basils. The group built cardboard box shelters, (equipped with their sleeping bags), and talked about the issues of homelesness and what it feels like to have a home, whilst cooking food on a campfire. At time of writing, the children and their families and friends have already raised £521 including gift-aid collections – please do consider boosting the impact of what they have achieved so far, by donating to this short 3 week appeal.
Martineau Gardens is hosting the joint appeal, through its on-line donation platform, LocalGiving to raise money for both Martineau Gardens and St Basils.
If you would prefer to donate in person by cash or cheque, please mark you donation very clearly as ‘Sleep Out’ Appeal
The appeal fund will stay open until Thursday 12 December 2019.
**Please note: donations made to this appeal will be split directly between the two charities (including gift-aid collections). **
Here at Martineau Gardens we aim to provide a safe and welcoming space which enables adults, young people and children to connect with nature and improve their wellbeing. Our preventative work also supports socially isolated and vulnerable people, through gardening and more, to help people feel good about themselves. Sometimes, having somewhere to go, that feels like ‘home’, can give hope to someone feeling desperate and lonely. Find out more about what we do through Therapeutic Horticulture here at Martineau Gardens.
St Basil’s is one of the largest organisations working with young people who are homeless or at risk in the country and is the largest regional organisation of its kind. You can find out more about St Basil’s here.
Celebrations have been underway in November 2019 around the Big Co-op Payout – Martineau Gardens has received just over £7,000 thanks to the support of Co-op members and staff at supporting stores. The funds received contribute towards delivering our therapeutic horticulture placements which includes vulnerable adults with mental health issues and learning disabilities.
Our thanks to Co-op members and our supporters who have chosen us, when shopping in our supporting stores.
The celebrations continued across the weekend at the four local shops who have been supporting Martineau Gardens in 2019. Kim (from Martineau Gardens), spent the afternoon at the Edgbaston store, with shop manager Josh Dredge and the Edgbaston Co-op team handing out flyers, selling Martineau Gardens plants and enjoying a slice of the celebratory cake. Meanwhile, in Moseley, former Director and supporter of the Gardens, Caroline Hutton, headed to the Moseley Co op to receive a cheque, about the good work that goes on here at the Gardens.
Co-op is also supporting Martineau Gardens through the continuation of the Local Community Fund into 2020 – look out for an update on how you can support us through this fund coming soon.
World Mental Health Day is Thursday 10 October 2019. On this day Martineau Gardens volunteers and staff are undertaking a mass planting of the new garden area behind the Pavilion. We’re providing lunch for our volunteers as a thank you to celebrate the efforts of all our volunteers who work hard all year round to keep these Gardens a beautiful and tranquil place to visit.
Crocus, snowdrops, aconites and other bulbs, as well as scilla and young trees and perennials, will be planted into the newly created beds. There will be spring bedding plants going into the troughs. Plants from the courtyard garden will be lifted and divided bringing in some mature foliage and autumn colour.
Gill Milburn, Director for Martineau Gardens said: “Bulbs are a symbol of new growth. Planting bulbs during the dormant months gives us something to look forward to, for when the warmer weather returns. For some volunteers on the therapeutic horticulture project, gardening together, week in, week out can be a lifeline that gives purpose to one’s life.”
Martineau Gardens provides a safe and welcoming space for the people of Birmingham and beyond to connect with nature and improve their wellbeing.
World Mental Health Day aims to promote mental health and create awareness about the issues associated with mental illness – here at Martineau Gardens, we work all year to support adults and young people living with mental health issues.
The on-going development of this new garden space and the continuation of the Therapeutic Horticulture Project would not have been possible without funding from Charitable Trusts and the long-term support of our corporate partners:
Jo Malone London Nicholls Brimble Bhol Solicitors Co-op
We are also extremely grateful to local and national businesses who have generously supplied us with expertise and materials, including:
Does it ever get too much for you? The theme for this year’s Mental Health Day is suicide prevention. If you’re affected by the issues connected with the theme for World Mental Health Day, there is 24 hour help available, from the Samaritans:
Telephone: 116 123 (24 hours a day, free to call)
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Website: https://www.samaritans.org
The Samaritans provide confidential, non-judgemental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those that could lead to suicide. You can phone, email, write a letter or in most cases talk to someone face to face.
On Caroline’s last day, we held a celebratory tea party. Pictured above, staff, former staff, trustee and volunteers with Caroline during the event.
“If we can encourage young people to look after the planet, hopefully some of the damage that we have inadvertently contributed to can be rectified before it’s too late.” Caroline Starr
Since 1987, Caroline Starr has been here at Martineau Gardens, inspiring Birmingham school children with her passion for nature.
Caroline has had a long association with Martineau Gardens. Her first role was as a gardener (1987) and she became the teaching assistant for the Martineau Environmental Studies Centre in 1991, where she taught for a number of years until its closure. She returned to Martineau Gardens in 2015, as a new education programme was introduced with Juliette Green (Education Officer), and has been our Educational Tour Guide since then.
Circa 2001, Caroline (far right) weeding flower beds near the Tai Chi Lawn
Pictured above, Caroline at work in the Gardens explaining pollination to school children during ‘Signs of Spring’ tours
Our thanks to the National Association of Environmental Education and Juliette Green who published Caroline Starr’s fascinating insight into the developments in Environmental Education at Martineau Gardens. An extract follows.
She writes of her early memories of the animals that once lived here, when the Gardens were known as the Environmental Study Centre: “My main roles were to take small groups around the gardens and to help look after the animals. I managed the poultry — several ex-battery hens, ducks, two quail and an arthritic turkey. I also helped with the goats and sheep (once being involved in delivering a breach lamb!); handled, cleaned and fed the indoor animals — a tortoise, grass snakes, bearded dragons, an axolotl, chinchillas, jerds (a large tunnelling gerbil), giant millipedes, African land snails, three types of stick insect and several different species of bird.”
Caroline taught until 1997 when Birmingham City Council’s funding for the Teaching Centre ended. The transition of Martineau Gardens as a Community Garden began. A coalition of former staff, supporters (including our former Patron Mollie Martineau and her husband Denis Martineau), and Friends of the Earth came together to keep the centre open. Caroline played an active role in the continuation of the Gardens. From this, the Community Garden was formed and Caroline Hutton (former Director) joined the organisation.
Caroline Starr explains her return to the Gardens in 2015: “I got involved again with Martineau Gardens … after attending the AGM. Once I heard that school groups were returning on a regular basis, I couldn’t resist! My main role now is to lead tours of the Gardens, where the children are provided with the experience of tasting some of our homegrown produce. I am often elated by their responses when they taste something they wouldn’t normally try — “You can eat more plants than I expected!” wrote one child on their evaluation form — and the vocabulary this draws out of them.”
In the article, Caroline writes of the importance of delivering Environmental Education:
“I believe that it is essential for children to know where their food comes from. Some of their misconceptions are really shocking: once when a child told me, “My mum grows peas on the balcony… in the freezer”. I always try to encourage teachers to try growing food crops with the children back at school; when children grow their own food, they are always keen to eat it, and it is a great way of introducing them to vegetables.
Environmental education is so important. During their visits to places like Martineau Gardens, children are introduced to the wonder of nature, and how it keeps going whatever the weather. The continuing cycle of growth and change that makes sense to me seems magical to children. If we can encourage young people to look after the planet, hopefully some of the damage that we have inadvertently contributed to can be rectified before it’s too late.”
Read Caroline’s article in full here (Environmental Education, NAEE, vol 118 – page 11)
We thank Caroline for her contribution to Martineau Gardens.
Staff at Martineau Gardens, past and present – spanning 22 years (from L to R: Caroline Hutton (former Director), Caroline Starr (Education Tour Guide) Stewart Holmes (Therapeutic Horticulturalist) and Gill Milburn (Director)
Our fabulous Summer Garden Party, returned for the sixth year running in June 2019. Guests joined us for an evening of food, wine and live music with Wild Irish. Our charity auction was the highlight of the evening with Jeremy Thornton, of Biddle and Webb, our pro-bono auctioneer. It was a wonderful evening, for guests to meet up with friends and family, joining in with the excitement of the auction, enjoy the music and wine whilst raising money for our cause.
The success of the event was due to a huge team effort – including members of the Calthorpe
Residents Society serving the wine and working tirelessly behind the scenes with our wonderful volunteers and our caterers ‘Food Fanatics’ producing a delicious banquet. We greatly appreciate the dedication of Sue Roberts, our chair of Trustees – without her commitment it would be impossible for this event to be the event that it is.
Funds raised from the Garden Party go directly to support the Therapeutic Horticulture Project here at Martineau Gardens and contribute to keeping the Gardens open for free, for the people of Birmingham to visit. We think it’s a terrific opportunity for local businesses to reach out, connect to local residents, support a great cause and hopefully enjoy themselves at the same time.
We are very grateful to Nicholls Brimble Bhol solicitors and Dermoperfection who support the Gardens throughout the year.
Our thanks to:
BIRA (British Independent Retailers Association) Genie Tutors QualitySolicitors Davisons
For many of the volunteers who come to garden at Martineau Gardens, gardening isn’t just a hobby, it’s a therapy that provides new ways to deal with their problems. Volunteers garden together – they receive support from a trained staff member and enjoy the benefits of socialising with a supportive group, whilst acquiring new skills in gardening and increasing self-confidence. Therapeutic Horticulture at Martineau Gardens promotes social inclusion, health and well being for all. Our volunteers (some of whom have mental health issues and learning disabilities) look after our two and half acre community garden, creating a beautiful place. The Gardens are open daily (except Sundays and Bank Holidays), free of charge as a place to visit, to relax and unwind in and enjoy its tranquillity. It’s a much loved, welcome green space close to Birmingham city centre. We have over 10k visitors each year, who visit the Gardens, attend our events, hire the Gardens for parties, meetings and community events. Hundreds of school children visit for Educational visits and learn about the natural world. We are a thriving independent charity – we raise all our funds and appreciate the support of donors and local businesses who get involved to support our cause.
Our thanks to all our donors for their support.
Martineau Gardens Auction Brochure 2019 e
Staff at Brewin Dolphin have been helping out at Martineau Gardens through a number of team-building and volunteering days over the last few months.
We were delighted to receive a call from Charlotte Wright advising us that she had nominated the Gardens through the Brewin Dolphin Foundation, which gives small grants to charities in which their staff have an interest. Pictured left, Charlotte and colleague Jonathon Gwynn presenting Stewart with a cheque for £1,000. Gill Milburn said: “We have seen an increase in the number of Team Building Days here at the Gardens and without exception we have benefited from each team’s input on these days. The added bonus with Brewin Dolphin, is that we’ve been able to reach out to them at short notice when we have been in need of extra help for a particular job. The financial support is the cherry on the cake. It’s really pleasing to know that the purpose of what we do at Martineau Gardens has had an impact on the Brewin Dolphin team and led Charlotte to apply for the donation, for which we’re extremely thankful.”
Summer 2019
Thurs 11 July; Thurs 1 to Mon 5 Aug; Sat 21 Sept
Cricket is taking place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, close to Martineau Gardens on the above dates. You can park your car in the Martineau Gardens car park (subject to availability) for £20 fee (please see signs on site), we have space for 24 cars. We can’t take reservations in advance.
Thank you for choosing to park here.
Your car is parked at your own risk. The gates will be locked or staffed, and staff will be on site throughout the match. If you wish to collect your car, before the end of the match, please phone 0121 440 7430 when you are outside the Gardens and we’ll unlock the gates.
At the end of play, the gates will be open for half an hour. Our staff will need to go home, so if you arrive later than this, you risk your car being locked in until 9.30am tomorrow morning, or an additional £20 charge.
Enjoy the cricket!
If you’re planning to visit Martineau Gardens on cricket days (we’re closed to the public on Sunday), the car park will be full – we’d love you to come and visit but please leave the car at home, (or arrange to be dropped off) and use public transport. Martineau Gardens is well served by buses. The nearest bus routes are 1, 45, 47, 61, 63, X64. To plan your journey by public transport, visit www.traveline.info and use the postcode search – Martineau Gardens postcode is B5 7UG. Alternatively, arrive by bike and bring your bike down to our bike rack, close to the Pavilion.
When you arrive, the gates will be locked, please phone the office on 0121 440 7430 and we will unlock the gates for you.
Our Spring Event took place on Sunday 19 May 2019 – thank you to everyone who contributed so much to the success of one of our favourite events of the year. Big thanks to our musicians, our cake and salad makers, our stall holders, our activity providers, Co op Edgbaston, all our visitors for joining in and … most of all our fabulous volunteers – we could not do all that we do with out you!
A few highlights from the day!