Cricket car park July 27, 2022

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 

Match details: edgbaston.com/fixtures/

What you need to know:

 £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.
  • To find out more about what happens here, visit this page

Enjoy the cricket!



Late opening Sat 23 July for Jazz July 22, 2022

Martineau Gardens will be opening (and closing) a little later than usual on Sat 23 July:

Opens: 11am Closes: 5pm

It’s the JAZZ EVENT! FREE ENTRY! Parking at Priory Hospital (by kind permission, please park at the rear; the gardens car park is reserved for Musicians and Disabled)

Birmingham, Sandwell and Westside Jazz Festival Venue23rd July 2022

Sat 23 July

1pm until 5pm, with music starting from 2pm. 

Free admission.

Come and join us for a fantastic afternoon of live music, we’re delighted to be a venue for the Birmingham, Sandwell and Westside Jazz Festival –  Europe’s biggest and best free jazz festival: returning for its 38th year at venues across the region. 10 jazz-soaked days from July 15 to 24.   Strictly Jitterbug, Second City Sound, You’re Never alone with a Uke, Darren Mather Harmonica Session and the New Street Authors. More details at www.birminghamjazzfestival.com

There will be refreshments to buy, tea and coffee served, plus plants, homemade jams and seasonal produce for sale. Crete Pots will be at the gardens, with a fantastic array of large terracotta pots, direct from Crete, with sales of olive oil. Pick up a treat for the garden. and enjoy a a beautiful afternoon in your local community garden. 

 In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of Birmingham having fun:

Announcing the 2022 Birmingham, Sandwell & Westside Jazz Festival – YouTube

Getting to the Event:

There is a small car park at the Gardens, reserved for disabled parking and musicians. Public parking for the event will be at the Priory Hospital (opposite) by kind permission. Please park at the rear of the hospital, in the large car park.

Martineau Gardens is well served by buses. The nearest bus routes are Priory Road: 1; Bristol Road: 61, 63; Pershore Road: 45, 47 . To plan your journey by public transport, visit www.traveline.info and use the Martineau Gardens’ postcode, B5 7UG.

How to find us – location map



Birmingham 2022 Festival presents Martineau Gardens Gates of Welcome July 4, 2022

A Creative City Project generously funded by Birmingham City Council

We’re delighted to announce that we are benefitting from a set of beautiful new gates, as a wonderful legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

As part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival’s Creative City programme, we are one of 107 projects – funded by Birmingham City Council – that will see community groups playing their part in the citywide Commonwealth Games celebrations.

Designs, created by artist Tim Tolkien (which were inspired by the beauty of Martineau Gardens and across the commonwealth with contributions from our community of volunteers and schools).

Our CEO Jenni Fryer said the gardens has long been a place of heart-felt welcome to all, but has been hidden behind gates that deter rather than encourage visitors to explore the space.

“We are incredibly proud of the warm welcome the gardens provide to all our of visitors, whether that’s school children visiting for education, members of the public or our volunteers who keep the garden so beautiful,” she said.

“Unfortunately our current gates just don’t match up so we are absolutely delighted that thanks to generous funding from Birmingham City Council the gardens will be the home of a community-led public art installation designed by award winning sculptor Tim Tolkien.

“We are delighted to be working with Tim and hope that the new gates he creates working with our community will reflect the beautiful spaces in the gardens as well as being a standalone piece of art which welcomes people into Martineau Gardens.”

A series of engagement workshops have been held with pupils from local schools in which they explored and experienced first-hand the diversity of the flora and fauna of the gardens and talked about plants that we see today but originated from commonwealth countries.  

Working with Tim, the gardens’ volunteers explored the links of Birmingham and the gardens with past social history, from manufacturing of the hardware of colonialism to the part played by abolitionist Harriet Martineau. The workshops also reflected on the importance of Martineau Gardens’ in the lives of its volunteers.  

Tim said he had been inspired by the project from the point he first walked into the gardens.

“Martineau Gardens really is a positive, beautiful, creative space but remains a little hidden from the world because of its lack of a real entrance,” he said.

“It’s been brilliant to work with young people, volunteers and staff to capture their thoughts, ideas and feelings about the gardens which will be reflected in the final design of the gates.”

The legacy of the project will be a set of visually exciting gates inspired by the community, which celebrates Martineau Gardens; welcomes everyone; acknowledges the past; reflects on links with the present and rejoices in its diversity and shared hopes. 

The gates will be officially opened in September, when students and the Martineau Community will be able to see their designs come to life as part of the gates.

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 in September, 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.

To learn more, view the full programme of events or get involved visit: www.birmingham2022.com/festival



Summer Garden Party at Martineau Gardens June 22, 2022

Saturday 25 June 2022 3pm – 7pm plus encores

Charity Auction  and Raffle 

Tickets: £15 includes live band and wine – advance purchase recommended

Raising vital funds for Martineau Gardens, as we celebrate 25 years of bringing people, plants & wildlife together.

Be the first to view the Summer Garden Party Brochure – hot off the press here!

Come and enjoy a fantastic late afternoon of  live music and wine, in the grounds of this  beautiful, therapeutic community garden.  The perfect setting for a wonderful afternoon Summer Garden Party. Join in with the excitement of the auction and raffle, enjoy a glass of wine or two, live music and delicious food. What’s not to love?  We’re close to Birmingham city centre, easy to find but you’ll be amazed at what a tranquil oasis this little gem can be. Whilst you’re here, enjoy wandering around our gardens, the courtyard garden with stream and pond, the pavilion garden, the shady nooks of the woodland, the newly restored rose garden.

We’re so excited about the event – keep an eye on our social media for more announcements about what is planned!

Tickets:

compressed logo

Tickets now on sale.  You can buy them:

  • on-line from WeGotTickets (a non-returnable booking fee of £1.50 applies)
  • by phone, call Martineau Gardens 0121 440 7430 (Monday to Friday 10am until 4pm, card sales, no booking fee)
  • in person from Martineau Gardens (cash or  card, no booking fee)
  • in person from Sue Roberts

To stay in touch with our plans for this wonderful afternoon, check back here soon or register your interest by sending an email to: sarah@martineau-gardens.org.uk  

Our music for the evening:

Tayz & the Drolls

Huge thanks to Tauny Southwood  who has come on board by bringing on two bands for the Garden Party. ‘Tayz & the Drolls’ span rock/pop/folk/blues and soul with all members contributing to original compositions – the songs cover life’s important themes of love, loss and finding our place in the world, whereas  ‘Jazz on Tap’ will be playing all your favourite jazz standards, and then adding the energy and vitality of contemporary modern jazz – That’s Jazz on Tap.      Find out more about the bands here.

Food:

South-African themed street food, meat and vegetarian (cash sales preferred)

Our cause

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.

How the Garden Party helps 

We are fortunate and thankful to have support for our charitable services from a number of charitable trusts, but there are expenses that fall outside these funding streams. Unrestricted funding, from donations and events, pays for regular on-costs such as general repairs; replacing or updating office equipment; garden furniture and providing refreshments for visitors. More importantly major costs, such as tree surgery, are met by unrestricted funds.   By Becoming a Friend, supporting the Garden Party or other events, or making a donation when you visit, you help us to ‘fund the unfundable’ which keeps Martineau Gardens as a safe and welcoming community space. Be part of something special and support the aims of the Garden Party by buying a ticket.

Local business support

This is 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 who support the Gardens throughout the year.

Getting to the Event:

There is a small car park at the Gardens, reserved for disabled parking. Public parking for the event will be at the Priory Hospital (opposite) by kind permission. Please park at the rear of the hospital, in the large car park.

Martineau Gardens is well served by buses. The nearest bus routes are Priory Road: 1; Bristol Road: 61, 63; Pershore Road: 45, 47 . To plan your journey by public transport, visit www.traveline.info and use the Martineau Gardens’ postcode, B5 7UG.

How to find us – location map



Birthday Celebrations – Get Involved June 8, 2022

Ways you can support us!

Our 25th Birthday Celebration takes place on Sat 24 September, 11am until 3pm Tickets are available on the gate, £4 Adult and £1 Child. As ever, our  events really contribute to the community who garden here at Martineau Gardens – so please look for ways you can support us – whether it’s simply buying a ticket at the gate or donating a cake, to taking part in the fete games,  sipping tea on the lawn, volunteering on the day, becoming a Friend  – here’s some ideas.



World Bee Day – Martineau Gardens May 18, 2022

20 May is World Bee Day – we couldn’t get by without bees at Martineau Gardens.

Beekeeping at Martineau Gardens – with Sam Walker – a film made by WeChaseTomorrow

Our volunteer beekeeper Sam Walker is passionate about bees and is on a mission to help would-be beekeepers to take their first steps. That’s why she’s organised a special beekeeping experience in September.

Likely to be taking place in September 2022, there will be two 2-hour sessions, a chance to experience what it’s like to be a beekeeper including a good look in a bee hive. (Beekeeping suits wuill be provided!) One in the morning, one in the afternoon – just 6 places on each and the cost will be in the region of £20. Booking in advance will be essential. To register your interest at this stage, send an email to info@martineau-gardens.org.uk and we will notify you when tickets go on sale.

Find out more about how we look after the bees at Martineau Gardens here.

Our thanks to Nico at WeChaseTomorrow who donated his time to make this film for us!



New building survey – we need your views! April 4, 2022

We have exciting plans for Martineau Gardens and we need your help! We are planning to replace the Mollie Martineau building (where the volunteers’ base and offices are), along with our ageing hothouse and workshops, to create a new building for now and for the next 25 years. We’d like your views on the building and what really matters in how we use the space.

Fill out the survey on-line here:

We are working with APEC Architects, a local practice working, to develop the building plans. Apec Architects use a participative design process – which means your views are needed right from the outset – before any designs are developed.

APEC architects are conducting the survey, and explain:

Completing this form should only take 5 minutes but there is a question at the end that gives you the chance to tell APEC more, should you wish to.

The form is designed to be anonymous unless you choose to provide your email address at the end. The information collected is solely for the purpose of this project. For further information about APEC Architects’ GDPR policy, please visit www.apecarchitects.com.

Paper copies of this form are available too which can be emailed to print, or post out. If you know anyone who is connected to Martineau Gardens who may have difficulty completing the form themselves, please consider supporting them to answer the questions, or alternatively, contact Martineau Gardens if you would like someone to assist them.

Your answers will help us to design the new building so thanks in advance for your valuable input.

The APEC Architects Team

Click here to begin the survey – we would be very grateful if you can complete the form by Tuesday 19 April 2022.



Renovating the wildflower meadow April 1, 2022

Summer is here and our renovated wildflower meadow is looking like paradise.

What a beautiful way to spend the longest day! On 21 June 2022, our fantastic team of volunteers (who worked long and hard over the winter to dig out and replant our wildflower meadow) have been working on the finishing touches of this beautiful spot, a welcome stopping off point for visitors and bees alike.

Restoring the wildflower meadow to its former glory is complete. Looking back over the months, here’s a record of all the hard work. back in later winter, despite a day of snow, rain, sun and hail, volunteers turned out in mass to get involved – we had a mass seed sowing activity covering the restored area with bee-friendly and butterfly-mix of seeds.

Our wildlife ‘meadow’ is located behind the children’s play area – it’s an important resource for wildlife, particularly bees and butterflies. Created 15 years ago, we look after it by cutting and raking it at specific times of the year to encourage its diversity. We leave seedheads in place to drop their seeds for future growth, and a winter feast for birds. However over time the area had become quite choked with hogweed and there was less of the wildlife-friendly plants we would expect to see. Work began – it was a tough job, scraping off layers of topsoil, roots and debris in winter but all the volunteers worked hard and the land was left ready for the spring sowing.



What’s happening at Easter April 1, 2022

Easter falls late this year, the gardens are bursting with Spring bulbs, so enjoy a breath of fresh air and pop in for a visit. We are open to the public on Easter Saturday 16 April, 10am – 4pm (free entry, but your donations are always welcomed). We close for the bank holidays, closed Good Friday, closed Easter Sunday and closed Easter Monday. Over the school holidays, we have six family activity sessions led by our environmental educational officer, Juliette Green. Martineau Mondays continue (except on bank holidays) and there are some changes to the timetable.

More information:

Easter Holiday Family Activities – advance booking esential – click here for details

Martineau Mondays – updates in April



Celebrating 25 years of Martineau Gardens March 21, 2022

Celebrating 25 Years of Bringing People, Plants and Wildlife Together

The first day of #Spring is here, 2022 starts to blossom and we’re celebrating 25 years of Martineau Gardens. Thanks to our neighbours, Orb, who regularly use our space, and have donated their time to give us a fantastic new look for our anniversary year. Donations of time really make Martineau Gardens what it is, our volunteers contribute so much to this wonderful place. Join in with the celebrations!

Come to one of our special events — look out for announcements about what’s planned here – make a note in your diary!