Planning a visit to Martineau Gardens? We look forward to seeing you, but if you’re visiting the gardens on Saturday 15 July, please note that due to a Vitality Blast Cricket at nearby Edgbaston Stadium, we have no public parking available and there are traffic restrictions in place.
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We had a terrific Garden Party on Saturday – were you there? Huge thanks to everyone who attended and everyone who got involved with supporting the event, whether donating prizes and gifts for the event, or giving up your time to help us.
(more…)Martineau Gardens is open 10am until 1pm, but closed 1pm until 4pm
AFFECTS FRI 16 TO MON 19 JUNE INCLUSIVE
With the Ashes, the Hundred Series, Vitality Blast Cricket happening on our doorstep at Edgbaston Stadium, cricket fans can pay a fee to park their car at Martineau Gardens on selected dates. Each cricket season we usually run a ‘cricket car park’, as a fundraising activity for the Gardens.
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A successful beekeeping course completed at Martineau Gardens this weekend, and 13 new students ready to become beekeepers! It might have been the hottest weekend of the year, but the atmosphere was wonderful, as students got ‘hands on with bees’ for an indepth introduction to the craft.
Thank you to our friendly students for all the enthusiasm and interest and our brilliant tutors, Sam Walker and Jane Nimmo
If you’d like to join a beekeeping course in the future at Martineau Gardens, keep an eye on announcements on social media or join our News and Events Mailing list
It’s World Bee Day on 20 May 2023 and here at Martineau Gardens, we do all we can to make Martineau Gardens a beefriendly garden. Much of our appreciation of ‘bees needs’ is shared though our popular beekeeping courses. * Delivered by expert volunteer beekeepers, Sam Walker (Martineau Gardens Beekeeper) and Jane Nimmo (Let it Bee), these give members of the public a chance to put on a beekeeping suit, get hands-on with bees and begin to think if they themselves could become a beekeeper.
As a food-growing community garden, one of the things we aim to share with volunteers and visitors (including local school visits) is the importance of pollinators in the foodchain. We garden organically, and the volunteers on the therapeutic horticulture programme come to understand how by leaving a few nettles here, a pile of logs there, they’re supporting a range of pollinators from honey bees and bumblebees to hoverflies, butterflies, moths and beetles.
Insect pollinators are important for our environment and for biodiversity. Without them seed production by wild plants as well as flowers, vegetables and fruit grown in gardens would be jeopardised – pollinators allow plants to produce fruits and seeds which birds and other animals rely on. We were delighted to have our efforts in demonstrating pollinator friendly habitats and food sources to the public recognised by The Bees’ Needs Champions Awards recently.
Honey made by the bees of Martineau Gardens is currently on sale and available from the plant sales area – all profits from the sale of the honey is ploughed straight back into the charity.
Thank you to Sam and Jane for running the beekeeping courses, here at Martineau Gardens.
*Our beekeeping courses are sold out, but to go on the waiting list for any future courses, please email info@martineau-gardens.org.uk
We had a wonderful, successful event on Saturday, our Spring Celebration 2023. Thank you to everyone who got involved, whether you were helping out or visiting, it was brilliant to see everyone enjoying the gardens in all their spring glory.
Here’s a little round up of some of the fun that was to be had:
Even the weather got behind us, after a chilly beginning, the clouds vanished and the sun shone down on the gardens and all our activities. It was great to see so many visitors enjoying live music from our two incredible bands (thank you to Moseley Village Band and Rigmareel who performed for free), enjoying delicious homemade cakes and barbeque food in the outdoor kitchen and trying their skill at the fete games. Down in the woods, families took part in wildlife activities, even spotting newts whilst pond dipping with our education officer Juliette and lots of our hand-reared plants went home to new gardens!
Over on the Tai Chi lawn, it was great to have community groups and Creator Makers, sharing their passions, demonstrating their skills and selling their wares. Thank you to all of you : www.thegoblinspocket.com * www.instagram.com/ronniediggins * Handmade Creative Crafts by Jane xx * Birmingham Friends of the Earth * ‘South Birmingham Tools for Africa * Kings Heath Shed * The Compost Connection CIC *The Eden Project * Caroline Percivale Watercolours * Nicholas Sims Portraits * and to The Storytellers Studio for their tales.
Thank you too to the crew from Bournbrook firestation – who brought along the fire engine for everyone to find out more about fire safety.
The Spring Celebration is a huge coming together of people donating time, love, cake (and so much more) – between you all, we raised £3,000. Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters for all your help, whether you have been potting up and growing plants, sprucing up the gardens for our visitors, making cakes, stewarding the car park, putting up gazeboes, running the tombola, handing out leaflets, washing up, playing music for us – or digging deep and donating your cash, we really appreciate all your support.
We’re so pleased to have started our events season with a roll – be sure to keep an eye on what’s planned for the rest of the year here or look out for announcements on social media or our news and events emails (sign up here) – we look forward to seeing you at the next one!
Garden Party charity auction event (Sat 1 July).
The Merry Wives of Windsor Tues 18 July
The Ugly Duckling Sun 23 July)
Sandwell and Westside Jazz Festival Sat 22 July – host venue
We’ve been out for coffee! Members of the Visitor Welcome Volunteer Team with Jenni and Sarah got together earlier in the month, with the good folk at Chapter Restaurant, Edgbaston to share our experiences of welcoming people and to hear about life behind the scenes in a busy restaurant over delicious elevenses. A big thank you to Anne, Karina, Nathan and Thomas for making us so welcome.
It was a glorious morning to celebrate the start of our new relationship with the restaurant. Chapter have selected Martineau Gardens to be Charity of the Year and we’re absolutely thrilled about it.
Our visitor welcome team are the friendly face of Martineau Gardens, the people who meet all our visitors, offer them tea and make them welcome. The contribution the team makes to Martineau Gardens is immense and this was a really lovely way to take a bit of time out, spend time together and appreciate all their hard work.
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It’s the Spring Celebration Event this Saturday, and we’ve been really busy all month getting ready – our plant sales area is heaving with new plants for you to peruse. Pictured here, volunteers are potting up meadowsweet (left) and since it’s wild garlic time, we’ve potted up a few for you to pick up and take home (right).
Come and join us on Saturday, our family-friendly green fete has something for everyone. Enjoy live music, delicious food and lots of activities, all in the grounds of our beautiful community garden. Wander around local stalls, the creators’ market, find out about gardening, hear our latest news. Stock up on plants and produce. There will be delicious homemade food and cakes for sale. Join in with traditional fete games, drop into the Storytellers Tent for a a tale or two and have fun with the family. All funds raised contribute to Martineau Gardens. £4 Adults, £1 Children
Plan your visit, how to find us, where to park, stalls and music list – all the details on our main event page here.
