Roll up, roll up. Tickets are on sale for an enchanting evening of spooky takes, flickering firelight and a woodland adventure, taking place at Martineau Gardens for Halloween on Wednesady 31 October, from 6pm. Come and be entertained by the good folk in the Traditional Arts Team at ‘Stories on Halloween Night’. Buy your tickets on-line via wegottickets.com(or on the gate subject to availability).
Stories on Halloween Night October 17, 2018
We need Visitor Welcome Volunteers October 17, 2018
We need to grow our Visitor Welcome Team volunteers … can you help?
Our Visitor Welcome Team Volunteers contribute so much to Martineau Gardens, providing a warm welcome to visitors.
The purpose of the role is to welcome visitors to the Gardens and deal with any reasonable needs or enquiries they have. This includes ensuring that the Gardens and buildings that the public use are welcoming to visitors; keeping up to date with news and changes at the Gardens; serving drinks; washing up; selling plants and produce and offering ‘Become a Friend’ leaflets and information on any events or activities.
We are much quieter in the winter, so it’s a good time to settle in and become familiar with what happens on a daily basis at Martineau Gardens.
If you can spare a regular half day each week, Monday to Friday, or would like to be added to a list of back-up volunteers, please call 0121 440 7430 and arrange to meet with our Director, Gill Milburn.
-
- Tranquil landscapes
-
- Seasonal produce for sale in summer
-
- Daffodils in the woodland, springtime
-
- Homemade jams for sale made from the produce of the Gardens
Do give us a call if you think this is something for you! We’d love to hear from you.
Half-term Family Fun at Martineau Gardens September 24, 2018
A tranquil spot in late Autumn by the paper bark maple
Bring the family to Martineau Gardens this Autumn Half-Term for a range of activities.
Autumn Stick Man Family sessions (Fri 2 and Sun 4 November) : click here
Autumn & Halloween Half Term Fun family sessions (Thurs 1 November): click here
Halloween Storytelling (Wed 31 October) : click here
Day of the Dead family sessions: (details coming soon) click here
In addition to the special activity sessions listed above, you can also follow the Stick Man Trail, as a self-guided activity – find out more here. The Stick Man trail is available during our normal opening hours (Monday to Saturday, 10am until 4pm) until the end of December 2019.
Birmingham Honey Show 1 and 2 September 2018 September 1, 2018
Walnuts at Martineau Gardens August 29, 2018
Have you noticed this green fruit at Martineau Gardens yet?
Just coming into season, the young ‘wet’ walnuts are plumping up nicely. Resembling in looks, a perfect, smooth ‘green’ plum and a little larger than a lime, (the walnut is the wrinkled stone inside) we have had lots of interest from visitors asking what they are.
The smell is exquisite.
Martineau Gardens is always delighted to see Ben (left) from Simpsons’ restaurant on a ‘foraging expedition’. This week he brought his colleague Andrei (right) and they left with a crop of walnuts for pickling.
Here’s a recipe (credit: Richard Mabey, Food for Free, ed. Collins Gem 2004) which our Visitor Welcome Team volunteer Roxy has encouraged us to sample:
Walnut Pickle:
“Use green walnuts; they should be soft enough to pass a knitting needle or skewer through. Prick them lightly with a fork to allow the pickle to permeate the skin and leave them to stand in strong brine for about a week until they are quite black. Drain and wash them and let them dry for two or three days more. Pack them into jars and cover with hot pickling vinegard. Seal the jars and allow ro stand for at least a month before eating.”
Stick Man is coming August 22, 2018
Record result at the Summer Garden Party August 17, 2018
Mid-July saw the return of our Summer Fundraising Garden Party, organised by our chair of Trustees, Sue Roberts. The gardens were looking beautiful on this marvellous evening, which brought guests together to enjoy an evening of food, wine and live music. Our charity auction was the highlight of the evening with Jeremy Thornton, of Biddle and Webb Auctioneers as our pro-bono auctioneer. Our musicians were ‘Wild Clover’, our caterers were ‘Food Fanatics’ and helping Majestic to serve the wine were members of the Calthorpe Residents Society who also helped so enthusiastically with clearing and washing up. Having just launched our new Corporate Sponsorship Scheme we were delighted to welcome our first corporate sponsors to the event, Nicholls Brimble Bhol and Dermoperfection, and also our event sponsors Bira and Quality Solicitors Davisons.
Below, a gallery of photos with thanks to Jonathan Middle for this super set.
Our thanks to all the individuals, organisations and businesses who have supported this event – we raised a record £13,650 for Martineau Gardens.
Photos following, credit SHD:
Guests enjoying the auction
Cricket – Visiting the Gardens during the Test Match August 3, 2018
Parking for Cricket Fans
Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 August 2018 Cricket:
Cricket is taking place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, close to Martineau Gardens on between Wednesday 1 to Sunday 5 August 2018. You can park your car in the Martineau Gardens car park (subject to availability) for a fee (please see signs on site), we have space for 24 cars.
Thank you for choosing to park here.
- Your fee is helping to support a great cause and local charity.
- Martineau Gardens is a registered charity and a therapeutic community garden. We run education and therapeutic horticulture projects in the Gardens. The Gardens are here for the people of Birmingham to enjoy peace and tranquillity.
- To find out more about what happens here, visit this page
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 £15 charge.
Enjoy the cricket!
Visitors to the Gardens
If you’re planning to visit Martineau Gardens on Friday or Saturday (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, 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.
Friday 3 Aug – due to a local power cut, we are unable to make hot drinks – but cold drinks are on offer, donations welcomed.
When you arrive, the gates will be locked, please phone the office on 0121 440 7430 and we will unlock the gates for you.
Summer Garden Party Auction Brochure July 10, 2018
Martineau Gardens Summer Garden Party and Charity Auction – Saturday 14th July 4pm til 8pm
Tickets £15 – advance purchase essential!
Food, wine, live music, charity auction and raffle
-
- Enjoy beautiful views
Enjoy the shady, floral, scented areas of our newly opened Courtyard Garden
It’s just a few days until the return of the Martineau Gardens Summer Garden Party and Charity Auction, taking place on Saturday 14th July 4pm til 8pm. In our 21st year as a Community Garden, this looks to be a bumper year for the event with great auction lots and raffle prizes.
Hot off the press, our Auction Brochure is available here – please enjoy a preview ahead of the party – just click on the brochure image.
For a sneak preview of what to look out for on the night, read the following, provided by our Chair of Trustees and event organiser, Sue Roberts:
“To whet your appetite, here’s a very special one day trip for two. I have long hoped to have a luxury train trip in our auction and am delighted to be including it this year.
A trip for 2 to the RHS Tatton Flower Show on Friday, 20th July, aboard the Luxury Northern Belle train. The Northern Belle is a private luxury train launched in 2000 after careful restoration by Venice-Simplon Orient Express. Your trip will include:
-
- Fine-dining
- Delicious three-course brunch on the outward journey
- Morning tea and coffee
- Visit to the RHS Tatton Show, including coach transfers & admission
- A complimentary RHS membership pack
- Champagne reception back on board
- Sumptuous five-course dinner: British seasonal table d’hôte menu including Great British cheese board, biscuits and chutneys
- A bottle of wine per couple
- Coffee, tea and petit fours
BIG PRINT: These tickets have been offered at a 50% discount and the first £400 raised will go to the Northern Belle. The trip will depart from Birmingham International at 10am arriving back at 9pm. Time on train is 2.5 hours each way.”
With our recent publicity around our appearance on BBC Gardeners’ World last week, and the launch of our Courtyard Garden supported by Jo Malone London, tickets are selling fast. Please do purchase tickets in advance (subject to availability), via the following ways:
How to book tickets:
Tickets are on sale!
Tickets cost £15, call into the Gardens in person to buy a ticket, or call 0121 440 7430 for card sales (Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm). You can also buy online via wegottickets.com (booking fee applies for on-line sales only.)
For more information about the event, click here
Summer Holiday Family Activities July 9, 2018
Summer’s here! Come and join our family activity sessions taking place during the summer holidays – ideal for finding out more about the wildlife at Martineau Gardens, the community garden in Edgbaston, near Birmingham. There will be plenty of fun and play along the way. We have some brand new activity sessions on our ‘Family Fun Fridays’ and are re-running some popular sessions on Tuesday mornings.
Choose from the following sessions; each session costs £5 per child (accompanying adults are free). Booking in advance is essential. Sessions are led by Juliette Green, our Education Officer.
Family Fun Fridays (morning and afternoon sessions available)
- Medieval Day Friday 27 July: Make a sword and shield or a magic wand, build a mini ‘wattle and daub’ house, hunt for dragons in the woods, create forts and sandcastles in the play area. Costumes welcome!
- Buzzy Bees Friday 10 August: A family activity session to learn about honeybees and bumblebees. Meet one of our beekeepers to find out about life in the hive, play pollination games, and learn more about how bees help us and what we can do to help them. You can also make a ‘wildflower bomb’ to take home so you can grow your own wildflowers to attract bees and other pollinating insects.
- Senses Safari Friday 17 August: Engage your five senses! LOOK at the plants in our beautiful garden; LISTEN to musical instruments you can make from natural and recycled materials; SMELL and TASTE some of our herbs and vegetables; FEEL your way around the woodland as you play blindfold games and tickle your toes with a barefoot walk. (You may want to bring a towel to dry feet at the end!)
- Dinosaur Discovery Friday 24 August: Make an explorer hat, then enter the woods to search for dinosaurs. Create a clay fossil, do an archaeological dig and finish with a dinosaur story. Bring along your own toy dinosaurs if you have them!
Other family activity sessions (taking place on Tuesday mornings)
- Pirate Adventure! Tuesday 31 July: Go on a treasure hunt, make a boat to float on the pond, find some mini “monsters of the deep” (pond dipping) and make pirate bunting. Wear your best pirate costume!
- Plant Professor Tuesday 7 August: Explore the woodland and garden, learn about different parts of plants and their jobs, taste some of our herbs and vegetables. Earn yourself a Plant Professor certificate!
- Minibeast Safari Tuesday 14 August: Hunt for minibeasts in the woods, try a true or false trail, have a go at pond dipping and listen to a minibeast story. Come dressed as your favourite minibeast!
Click on your choice of session(s) below, to be redirected to wegottickets.com to purchase your ticket. (Please note, on the days when there is a morning and an afternoon session, these will be identical so just choose one of them.)
Medieval Day Fri 27 July 10am – 12pm OR Fri 27 July 1.30pm—3.30pm
Pirate Adventure Tues 31 July 10am – 12pm
Plant Professor Tues 7 August 10am – 12pm
Buzzy Bees Fri 10 August 10am – 12pm OR Fri 10 August 1.30pm—3.30pm
Minibeast Safari Tues 14 August 10am – 12pm
Senses Safari Fri 17 August 10am – 12pm OR Fri 17 August 1.30pm—3.30pm
Dinosaur Discovery Fri 24 August 10am – 12pm OR Fri 24 August 1.30pm—3.30pm
Here’s what you need to know:
This is a family learning event —activities are for supervised children aged 3—12 years. Parents/carers are expected to stay and join in but don’t pay, children’s tickets are £5 per head. Numbers are limited to 20 children per session – book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Dress appropriately for the weather, since the session will take place outside.
Bring a drink and a snack, or bring your packed lunch if you’d like to have a picnic at Martineau Gardens (after the morning session or before the afternoon one).
Martineau Gardens serves hot and cold drinks (for which donations are welcomed) but not food. You can find out more about the Gardens here.
Tickets:
Tickets are on sale via wegottickets.com
£5 per child (+ 50p booking fee) advance booking essential wegottickets.com
To book, please select from the eleven sessions above (choosing a morning OR afternoon session) and you’ll be redirected to wegottickets.com to make your payment.