This week, it’s Trustee’s Week – an opportunity to shine the spotlight on our terrific board of Volunteer Trustees, who work tirelessly, often behind the scenes to support the work of Martineau Gardens. In 20022, we’re celebrating twenty-five years of Martineau Gardens – with their constant dedication Martineau Gardens has weathered the storms and is looking forward to the next 25 years.
Thank you Peter Arnold, Tim Bruton (our Chair), Liz Hensel, Felly Nkweto Simmonds, Cathy Powell, Peter Townley MBE and Tom Walkling.
We are very grateful for your support of Martineau Gardens at this time of year – the therapeutic horticulture project continues across the winter months, bringing a sense of purpose and joy for our participants – and your donations mean we can continue to be the haven in so many people’s lives.
Festive gifts
Christmas is just round the corner, it’s a time for giving, with this in mind, the team at Martineau Gardens have been busy preparing and creating wares inspired by the beauty of the gardens. Pop in Monday to Saturday (until Wednesday 21 December) to pick up an unusual handgrown, handmade present.
Subject to availability we have jams, chutneys, honey, seasoned logs for the hearth, compost, alpine and succulent plants in terracotta pots.
On-line gift cards
Or alternatively, you can also purchase gift-cards on-line. Follow the link below to our Sum Up Gift Card platform – you can buy a gift voucher for any amount you like, and personalise it by picking from a selection of designs. You will be sent an e-voucher to pass on to your recipient. They can visit the gardens at any time across the next year, to redeem against plants, produce, logs, compost or jams. If you’d like to have something to wrap up when you present the gift card, pop into Martineau Gardens before 3pm on Wednesday 21 December to collect a Robin postcard and a small token, with which to present it.
To support the work of Martineau Gardens directly, you can donate one-line here, via justgiving
Or alternatively:
pay by card (call 0121 440 7430)
pay by BACS: Martineau Gardens, Account No: 50117516 Sort code: 08-92-50 Ref: Gift/insert your surname Our bank address is: The Co-operative Bank plc, PO Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT
Come and visit us at the Edgbaston Village Artisans’ Market on Sat 12 November 10am – 6.30pm https://edgbastonvillage.co.uk/artisanmarket/ All proceeds help to support the work of Martineau Gardens, so be sure to pop along for jams, honey, plants and our Made at Martineau craft gifts.
Big thanks to all our volunteers for doing a terrific job on repotting these succulents, alpines and cacti, getting them ready for sale at our next stall.
If you visit the Gardens during the winter months, you’re likely to hear a ‘plink’, ‘plink’ sound. This is the sound of wood being chopped, by hand, by the Garden Volunteer Team. Wood is donated to the Gardens by Tree Surgeons, and then gets chopped up by the volunteers and sold to customers as logs for wood-burning stoves or open fires. Not only is this an important source of income for the Gardens, but it provides plenty of physical exercise for our volunteers!
Due to changes in legislation requiring that logs sold for fires must be below 20% moisture content, we have been galvanised into action over the last year, and thanks to a lot of hard work from volunteers, we now have the capacity to store bags of dry logs for sale to visitors. Our volunteers work hard storing, chopping, testing and bagging up the logs – it’s quite a ‘cottage industry’. The price now is £10 a sac. If you’re making a first purchase, you’ll need to purchase a reusable hessian sacks (£3) – an ideal way way to transport your logs home. The sacks weigh 10kg.
We are very grateful to our log chopping team who continue to keep the supplies up and running and to you, our customers, who choose to support our cause by buying logs from Martineau Gardens.
If you’re making a special trip to purchase logs, we suggest you ring us first to check supplies.
Supporting a good cause: all profits from the sale of logs are ploughed back into the running costs of Martineau Gardens
Martineau Gardens is closed on Monday 24 October for a team training day – sorry for any disappointment, but be sure to come back and visit us Monday to Saturday, 10am until 4pm – entry is free!
Birmingham 2022 Festival presents Martineau Gardens Gates of Welcome – a Creative City Project generously funded by Birmingham City Council
A gardland of foliage gathered from the gardens, is snipped Close up of the gatesMP Preet Gill and Sculptor Tim TolkienA close up of the garland The gates are officially openPreet Kaur Gill MP, Volunteers, staff, supporters of Martineau Gardens and pupils of Heath Mount and Selly Oak Trust schools leap for joy at opening of the Gates of Welcome
Today we had the pleasure of celebrating the first stage of our Gates of Welcome being completed. Two tall, steel gates, festooned with hand-crafted sculptures of plants and wildlife were officially unveiled today by MP Preet Kaur Gill, Teacher Paige Jackson and pupil Taihrese from Selly Oak Trust School, in the company of volunteers, staff and supporters of Martineau Gardens. First to walk through the gates, were the volunteers of Martineau Gardens, accompanied by pupils of Heath Mount School and Selly Oak Trust School and artist Tim Tolkien. A garland of foliage gathered from Martineau Gardens (including radishes and cranberries), was snipped as part of the opening ceremony, speeches were held and dragonfly cakes were enjoyed.
The community-led art installation, which has been a year in the making, was created by award-winning, sculptor Tim Tolkien, with design contributions from workshops held with our volunteers and local schools. Working with Tim, participants explored plants that have origins in the commonwealth, the links of Birmingham and the gardens with past social history, from the manufacturing of the hardware of colonialism to the part played by abolitionist Harriet Martineau. The workshops reflected too on the importance of Martineau Gardens’ in the lives of its volunteers.
Jenni Fryer, CEO for Martineau Gardens said:
“It’s been an absolute joy to work on this project with Tim Tolkien. Tim has engaged our volunteers and schoolchildren to create the most beautiful set of gates – this art installation is inspired by the warm welcome that Martineau Gardens offers to all its visitors and draws on the rich diversity of the plants of the Commonwealth and of the gardens themselves.”
Once the project is completed over the next few months – the details will include depictions of plants from across the commonwealth, including bamboo, tea, lemon, banana, orange and potato; representations of the wildlife of Martineau Gardens, with robins, dragonflies and spiders tucked about. Life at Martineau is portrayed through wheelbarrows, plant pots and of course teapots (a nod to the importance of teabreak, conversation and friendship at this centre for therapeutic horticulture).
Our thanks to civil engineers Fitzgerald who were a huge support in helping us get the finishing touches to the car park complete carrying out groundworks and resurfacing of the new entranceway with a team of friendly staff volunteering their skills and time.
The installation of these remaining design elements, including an interpretation panel where visitors will be able to watch a film telling the story of the gates continues into Autumn. Follow the developments on social media, #GatesofWelcome, sign-up to receive our news and events updates here . We look forward to welcoming visitors old and new to explore the story with us.
About the Birmingham 2022 Festival
The Birmingham 2022 Festival unites people from around the Commonwealth through a celebration of creativity, in a six-month long programme, shining a spotlight on the West Midland’s culture sector.
Running from March to beyond the conclusion of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the festival aims to entertain and engage over 2.5 million people in person and online.
Delivering over 200 projects across the region including art, photography, dance, theatre, digital art and more the festival will embrace local culture and generate lasting change and a creative legacy beyond the games with funding to community led projects from Birmingham City Council’s Creative City Grants scheme.
Major support has been dedicated by Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Birmingham City Council and Spirit of 2012. The Birmingham 2022 Festival is grateful for further support from British Council, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, the High Commission of Canada in the UK, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Create Central, Creative New Zealand, UK/Australia Season 2021/2022, and Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee.
This Monday 10 October 2022 is #WorldMentalHealthDay – an opportunity for us all to check in on our own mental health. Here at Martineau Gardens we see the value of spending time outdoors, connecting with nature to help us feel relaxed. That’s why we’re inviting you to join us for our regular outdoor Tai Chi session – what could be a a better start to Monday morning?
Virginia Creeper by near the Courtyard GardenPumpkins and sunflowersOutdoor Tai Chi
Arrive at 10.15am for a 10.30am start to allow time to register with Kim Knowles, session leader, in the Courtyard Garden. Wrap up warm, since the entire session will run outdoors, usually in the Shipwreck PlayArea. Admission is free, but your donations are always welcomed. You can find out more about what to expect here.
BREAKING NEWS: Due to installation works of our Gates of Welcome on Monday, access to our car park is limited on this day. If you’re travelling by car, please continue to the Priory Tennis Club and park there (thanks to kind permission from the club.)
Therapeutic Horticulture
At Martineau Gardens we support people with mental health issues through therapeutic horticulture. We garden together, whatever the weather and feel all the better for it.
For people with existing mental health conditions, seasonal change can contribute to greater dips in wellbeing, the tranquillity and calm of Martineau Gardens brings stability for many of our regular volunteers on the Therapeutic Horticulture programme. The culture created here can go a long way in navigating unsettling times, volunteering providing a fixed point in times of turmoil.
If you’re in need of some space, some peace and tranquility, Martineau Gardens will be open as usual, on Monday 19 September, offering a warm welcome, for reflection and coming together.
Calling all Eco Makers and Creators! Do you care about the environment? Produce sustainable merchandise? Perhaps your products are organically produced, or have a connection to gardening, upcycling, the natural world – if all or any of this chimes with your stall then get in touch! We are on the look out for stalls to join our Makers and Creators Market at the Martineau Gardens Birthday Event.
In our anniversary year, we’re celebrating 25 years of bringing people, plants and wildlife together at this family-friendly green fete taking place on SATURDAY 24 September, from 11am until 3pm.
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Details for office use:
Your contact details (name, email, mobile number)
YOU WILL NEED TO PAY £20 per stall in advance to secure your place. You can pay by card (call 0121 440n 7430) or by BACS: Martineau Gardens, Account No: 50117516 Sort code: 08-92-50 Ref: Stall/[insert your surname] Our bank address is: The Co-operative Bank plc, PO Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT
More information:
We will get back to you to confirm the details – in the event that we are oversubscribed with applications, we’ll set up a waiting list.
You’ll need to bring your own gazebo (optional), table and chairs. Stall holders need to arrive and be set up by 10.30am, with any vehicles moved to alternative parking across the road, at the rear of Priory Hospital.
With the Hundred Series, Test Match Cricket and Commonwealth Games 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. Find out more below.
Tickets are only available on the day, first come, first served (we are unable to reserve in advance)
Planned cricket car park dates:
**** Update: 5 August 2022: Martineau Gardens will be running a cricket car park for the Hundred Series *****
Wed 10 Aug cricket car park opens 5pm, match starts 6.30pm Brum Phoenix v Southern Brave
Mon 15 Aug cricket car park opens 5pm, match starts 6.30pm Brum Phoenix v Trent Rockets
Fri 19 Aug cricket car park opens 5.30pm match starts 7pm Brum Phoenix v N Superchargers
Sun 28 Aug cricket car park opens 5.30pm, match starts 7pm Brum Phoenix v Manch Origin
£15 per car, cash or card – on the day – sorry, but strictly no advance reservations possible – on selected dates – announced above
We have space for 20 cars max. Unless otherwise marked, the cricket carpark will open 1.5 hours before the published match start time.
Your car is parked at your own risk. The gates will be closed (but not locked), and staff will be on site throughout the match. If you wish to collect your car early (ie, before the end of the match, and out of our opening hours) please phone 0121 440 7430 when you are outside the Gardens and we will open 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 on the following morning, or an additional £15 charge will be charged.
Areas of Edgbaston are likely to have road restrictions in place.
(The Commonwealth Games end 8 August – get all the information you need to ‘get set’ including road closures, parking restrictions and travel advice here: Birmingham2022.com/getset )
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.
