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!

MartineauGardensBrochure2022-e-version Download

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:

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:

Consultation process for the new building is underway at Martineau Gardens

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!

Celebrating 6000th Environmental Education Visit March 18, 2022

Today we celebrated 6,000 school children taking part in environment education visits.

Children from St Catherine of Siena School visited Martineau Gardens, on a trip funded by a Hugh Kenrick Days Bursary.

The bursary scheme has funded more than 6,000 West Midlands children’s visits to environmental centres like Martineau Gardens and is managed by the National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE).

Nina Hatch NAEE Executive Director said she was delighted to be celebrating the 6000th pupil taking part in a bursary funded visit.

“Hugh Kenrick was a passionate advocate for birds and wildlife and his legacy has helped thousands of children enjoy learning in the great outdoors,” she said.

“Connecting with nature is a vital part of every child’s education, encouraging them to explore wildlife and plants in a way that they often don’t do in their day-to-day life.

“We are really delighted to celebrate at Martineau Gardens, which along with Birmingham Botanical Gardens, RSPB Sandwell Valley and Mount Pleasant School Farm play host to the bursary trips.

“We’d like to thank the Lord Mayor for joining us and the Year 3 children from St Catherine of Sienna as well as John Kenrick, Hugh’s son, who will be joining us on the day.”

The bursary was set up by Hugh’s wife Anne, who was equally passionate about the impact of environmental education, as a legacy in memory of her husband.

“It is a great achievement by teachers and the organisers of Kenrick Days that to date 6000 pupils have had the opportunity to learn outside the classroom,” said John.

“I’m sure both my parents would have been delighted at the impact of their legacy.

“This is vital environmental education, and we need to ensure more children can benefit.”

Martineau Gardens Environmental Education Teacher Juliette Green said: “These trips are a wonderful way of bringing children into new environments and encouraging them to take part in all kinds of activities, from pond dipping to plant identification.

“The natural environment links with every aspect of the school curriculum, from science and geography to art and literacy and helps children expand their horizons beyond the classroom.”

As part of the celebrations, the NAEE will be handing out 1,000 packets of sunflower seeds to children who attend visits at Martineau Gardens this year.

Any school in the West Midlands can apply for the Hugh Kenrick Bursary via https://naee.org.uk/apply-for-a-school-bursary/

Festive Giving—that supports Martineau Gardens December 10, 2021

Like to feel an extra warm glow during this festive period of giving? Why not pick up an unusual little something from Martineau Gardens to give to friends or family? All purchases directly support the work of the Gardens.

· Potted hyacinth bulbs, traditional winter gift, £2 (and £6)

· Notelets with wintery scenes of the Gardens £2.50

· Preserves and chutneys, made from the produce of the Gardens, £3.50

· Beekeeping Courses 2022 vouchers now on sale—£70 and £125

· A hessian sack of seasoned logs, handchopped by our volunteers (£9 for a 25kg bag)

Pop into the gardens to buy in person, cash or card welcomed! Or call the office on 0121 4407430 to make a payment.

Jobs: Trust and Grants Fundraiser for Martineau Gardens November 5, 2021

Are you passionate about supporting people with learning disabilities and mental health issues in a beautiful community garden? Can you help us to raise the funds we need to continue our work through grant and trust applications which capture the community and compassion which is at the heart of Martineau Gardens?

We’re looking for a fundraiser for 2-3 days a week who can help us tell the story of the gardens and the work we do and is proactive and creative in looking for funding streams, locally, regionally and nationally.

We are a small, close team and need someone who is hands on and willing to get involved in bigger bids, working with the CEO and deputy director.

Trust and Grants Fundraiser
Salary: £23,000 – £25,000 per year, pro rata
Hours: Permanent, part-time, 2-3 days per week (to be agreed)
Location: Edgbaston, Birmingham

Closing date: 05 December 2021
To apply: Please view our advert with Charity Jobs here, where you can download the supporting documents. Applications should only be made through Charity Jobs and not directly to ourselves.