At this year’s AGM we welcomed two new Trustees, said goodbye to two long standing members of staff, Sue Brain and Glynis Powell and welcomed a new leader, Oliver Pickering.

350 years is a long time for a garden to exist, ironically change and renewal are all part of keeping a garden consistently healthy and refreshed. Since the Governance Review in 2023-2024 the Trustee Board has been able to continue developing and strengthening its skills and relevant experiences in order to meet the Gardens Trust’s current and future ambitions. This year we welcome two new Trustees: Mike Ruff and Ellie Lovell. Their experiences will be of great help to us… Please see below for more about them

Since the last AGM, two of the long serving staff members have also stepped down. Sue Brain, for more than 20 years the face, dynamo and ‘soul-keeper’ of the Gardens stepped down and retired in November.

For most volunteers and many visitors, Sue Brain has been a ‘constant’ and the ‘go to’ fount of knowledge at the Gardens. The original problem-solving-mother-figure, no task was too small nor too inconvenient for her to take up and implement. Quietly and consistently concerned for everybody’s wellbeing, she made sure everyone was remembered and supported. She set the tone for the rest of us; if a task needs doing, just do it.

Although originally given the title of Administrator, Sue has been so much more to the Gardens, she really has been the person who has kept it going; day to day and year by year… for decades. She is missed but we know she deserves her retirement…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Completing the transformation this year is the news that Glynis Powell, General Manager for the last 14 years, is stepping away into retirement and Oliver Pickering, who for the last four years has been the Parkland and Outdoor Families Manager has been promoted to be the new ‘CEO’ for the Trust.

In its 350 year history these gardens have been looked after and nurtured by many hundreds of individuals. The range of roles fulfilled by those ‘history and nature stewards’ since the 1980s, when this Charitable Trust was formed, is surprisingly varied. Those with gardening skills have always been with us of course and in this century, the need for fundraising, management and audience development and visitor service skills has crescendoed.

During my mere 14 years here, it has been my pleasure and privilege to steer and guide the overall management development and wider opening up of the Gardens.  Thank you for allowing me to be part of the life of this absolutely wonderful project. We know that everyone falls in love with Gardens and I’m no exception to that and I’m grateful to have been part of its story and hope that I’ve added to both its long-term survival and to the enjoyment of the people who work, play and visit here.

When I arrived in 2014 I ‘inherited’ a most amazing restoration and was, every day, grateful for the thirty years of expertise and graft that had already been expended on the protected nationally significant garden. That Garden was also accompanied by a bunch of dedicated, loyal and skilled volunteers and members. Then as now, the one could not survive without the other.

However, back then, less attention had been paid to the longer-term sustainability of the business model, who the audience should and could be and how to get them to come and visit. In an early presentation I made to the Parish Council, I recall showing a photo of a beautiful, but empty garden and followed by a photo of a family picnicking here. Picnicking and families in general seemed to be regarded with suspicion and largely frowned upon at the time.

I am pleased to have succeeded in reversing that attitude and in the process, we have gone from around 7000 visitors to now regularly welcoming over 21,000 users and visitors each year. Since 2018 we have not had the benefit of regular, year on year, grant support, so our financial sustainability heavily relies on visitors their spend and their loyalty.

But it’s not all about money, we realise that sharing the beauty and benefits of this green space also builds loyalty, love and care from all our neighbouring communities and strengthens our position as a tourist attraction regionally to boot. I am proud, and continue to be in awe, of the staff and the volunteers who, imbued with the innate ‘spirit of the gardens’ really has created a strong and open place of welcome to all.

I know that under the new leadership this warm and welcoming approach will continue – the hashtag we use as a subline says it all #wegrowtogether.

Those who may have dipped into the Annual Reports over the years will notice that cracking the finance nut is still pretty tough.  I arrived in 2014 on the understanding that there was three years funding for my post alongside a small regular grant from Solihull Council to support the work. I thought managing a four-year turnaround would be sufficient. However, ten months into the post I was told that the funding wasn’t forthcoming after all. So, fundraising became a much larger part of my workload. In my time here, with a lot of help from many others, we have brought in over £1.2 million of grants and donations to support the work.

Naturally, it’s still not enough and raising funds is definitely getting tougher. With the plans for extensive new buildings both revenue and large capital fundraising campaigns will be needed, it will be tough but Ollie alongside, our freelance fundraiser Rachel, definitely have good plans for the future and I’m confident Gardens are in good…and much younger and energetic…. hands

In conclusion I will quote from Nicholas Serota, who recently stood down as head of the Arts Council, it surprisingly parallels my own experience.

Paraphrasing: “over the last decade we have navigated periods of significant change and uncertainty including a global pandemic, economic challenges and shifts in the way people engage with culture. Through it all, the creativity, resilience and ambition of the sector have been extraordinary.”

Talking of his successor Serota says which I will also echo “I’m confident that under his stewardship the organisation will thrive, and the sector (Gardens) will flourish.”

 

New Trustees

Ellie Lovell

Ellie has deep family and childhood connections to Castle Bromwich and still lives close by. With a long history in marketing and communications in the education and non-profit sector she also has experience in strategic oversight and change. Coupled with knowledge and love of the outdoors she hopes to bring her collaborative and solutions focussed approach to support the Trust’s governing Board.

Mike Ruff

Mike is an HR specialist with high level and varied operational experience across a number of local companies. Most recently he has been part of the Solihull based Family Care Trust, basing himself at their Care Farm at Catherine de Barnes. Joining our Trust at a time of change and forward development, his experience will support new management structures and policy environments that the Trust is entering.

Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens are absolutely delighted to announce the award of a generous £89,300 grant from  HS2, marking the beginning of an exciting eighteen-month project entitled Restoring Nature, Creating Access.

This significant funding brings renewed hope and determination as we embark on vital restoration and improvements throughout our cherished historic gardens and city green spaces.

This grant will allow us to undertake a transformative project, including restoration of boundary trees, replenishing hundreds of metres of box hedging lost to BoxMoth, enhancing biodiversity, opening up new and improved access paths, and championing composting and sustainable practices within the Gardens and local community.

The funding is from HS2s Community and Environment Fund (CEF) which was created to provide benefits to communities along the line of route that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of the new railway.  Further information about CEF can be found at: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/hs2funds.

Head Gardener, Denise Seckham, shares her pride in the largely volunteer team’s resilience, as they thoughtfully balance the requirements of the historic gardens’ early18th-century design with contemporary environmental needs. The loss of the emblematic Box hedging in recent years has been a real test, emotionally and physically, but this new support inspires renewed efforts and optimism for the future.

Liam Byrne, MP for HodgeHill and North Solihull, whose constituency included the Gardens and Parkland says

“The work done by the charity on the Gardens and Parkland is inspiring. The funding from HS2 will provide much needed support for the Charity to continue to look after these valued and valuable historic green spaces. It will enable to continue expand

community participation and foster deeper appreciation of this unique natural environment by facilitating access to leisure and providing formal training opportunities.”

The CEF funding in combination with vital financial contributions from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust UK and The Rowlands Trust means our Gardens are now well-placed to tackle these challenges, safeguarding the historic character of the estate while embracing innovation and sustainability. The project is due to commence in early summer and will run through to the end of 2027, working hand-in-hand with our ongoing seasonal maintenance and the rhythm of nature itself.

The Gardens team is deeply committed to minimising disruption for visitors and ensuring that our vibrant calendar of events and activities continues uninterrupted.

Community engagement and volunteer involvement remain at the heart of everything we do, in keeping with our forty-year tradition, and we warmly invite everyone to keep an eye out for ways to participate as this exciting project unfolds. Together, we are shaping an inspiring future for Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens!

UPDATE on the BoxMoth issue

Over the last six weeks –  aided by some strong and willing corporate volunteers- the Gardening team has finished grubbing out about 40% of our 1.2km of box hedging and topiary. 

The visual shock for visitors is great.  We are all experiencing the sadness – all the Gardeners especially.

The hedging is a fundamental design element for our early 18th century Garden. As our Head Gardener, Denise, says ‘in 1720 there was no Box Moth so historically accurate responses arent really possible.’

Taking advice from other heritage sites and working practically together the Gardeners do have a plan for the short term as well as the longer term. The first takes a lot of effort, work and time, the second will depend on us raising more money for replacement planting (we reckon about £40k).

See below for some of the mitigation work our marvellous team are involved with as winter approaches… Please be kind to them if you  catch them at work (we’re making sure there’re lots of supplies of cake and biscuits for their morning breaks) and please be patient with the changes that will have to be made in the Gardens we all share and love.

It’s not just the drought that’s making the gardens look very dry and brown this year. You’ll notice that much of our 1200 metres of box hedging and topiary is looking decidedly dry, bare and positively skeletal.

This is not just lack of water, nor is it box blight, it is the result of Box-tree caterpillar infestation, Cydalima perspectalis.

Many local people have been telling us of their own experience of the devastating effect of the Box tree Caterpillar. For the last two years we hoped we’d kept the box tree Caterpillar at bay. You will have seen the little green jars hanging from shepherd’s crooks around the Gardens over the last couple of years. These are part of our integrated pest management system which includes biological control and changes to cutting regimes. However, the exceptional dry and sunny weather this spring seems to have benefitted the moth -which has at least two, sometimes 5 reproduction cycles just in one season.

We heard from other colleagues in the heritage gardens sector just how quickly box moth could devastate hedges. But even we were shocked at the speed of change. Earlier this season our Gardeners started implementing their emergency plan. Identifying some of the hedges that could be replaced by fencing or other plants, they have grubbed out, or cut down to the ground, smaller hedges around the gardens. You may not have noticed the loss of small hedges in the Melon Grounds and around the North wall borders. We have concentrated on trying to save those hedges and topiary which epitomise the early 18th century style of the Gardens.

What will happen?

Unfortunately, it is likely that more than 1/2 or up to 3/4 of the hedges will not survive this summer. While some will revive, even if cut down to the ground, they will still be vulnerable to the box tree Caterpillar next year.

The gardens community across northern Europe have been experimenting and researching over the last five to 10 years on alternatives to box. Everyone recognises that there are very few other plants as flexible and as useful as Box – especially when it comes to heritage and historic garden style.

We’re still listening and learning from other places, in the meantime we are replacing some edging with hedge germander, Teucrium lucidrys, which while pretty, cannot be used as a ‘proper’ Hedge. We are also trying to raise funds to purchase thousands of Yew plants to replace at least the parterre on the far South wall border. This parterre is in the shape of our trust’s logo, so we can’t really lose it. We hope you will bear with us while we find affordable and resistant replacements.

The Box Moth was first identified in Britain in 2007 and has now reached most of the UK. Originating in warmer climes,  the Box moth is just one of many changes that are a result of climate change across the world. The moth has very few natural enemies, but there are sightings and observations that northern european birds are beginning to recognise the caterpillar as an acceptable food source. We can only hope that overtime adaptation will occur.

While adaptation often takes a long time to develop, there is hope. For example, the disease Ash Dieback devastated many trees over the last decade or so, but there are now signs that naturally resistant varieties of Ash are appearing.

In the meantime, the Gardeners will try to manage our hedging as well as they can and we will continue to fundraise for replacements. We are also keeping a weather eye  (sic!) out for how the drought this year is affecting the different varieties of apples and pears in our two orchards. Many of the trees are showing signs of acute distress and are dropping their fruit before time. How this will affect this years yield and the production of fruit juice we don’t yet know.

Our hearts go out to farmers across the country whose crops and herds are suffering already, with many winter crops, put aside for animals in the winter having already failed. We are proud to be able to preserve the biodiversity of ancient fruit varieties  through our two historic orchards. While we are not a Botanic or scientific garden, we hope we can nevertheless play some part in supporting future food security in the face of climate change.

Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens are celebrating receiving a prestigious Green Flag Award for the Parkland.

Castle Bromwich Historic Parkland has achieved the coveted Green Flag Award as it is officially recognised as one of the country’s best parks The historic parkland in Castle Bromwich, affectionately known as ‘Lady Brad’s’’ raises prestigious Green Flag Community Award after achieving international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

Castle Bromwich Hall and Gardens Trust is celebrating after receiving a Green Flag Award for the 30 acre historic Parkland it manages alongside the 350year old formal Gardens.

The site is one of 2,250 in the UK to achieve the award, which is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

The news that ‘Lady Brads’ has met the standards required for the accreditation is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that care for the green space so that visitors and residents alike can enjoy it.

The 30 acre historic Parkland is just one section of a wider Conservation Area, the largest in the Borough and Constituency, in the built up area of East Birmingham.
Dating back over 400 years the Parkland is a valued piece of history and a vital space for nature in the industrialised landscape.

Olly Pickering, the Trust’s Parkland Manager commented, ”Over a period of just four years we have been able to stop the rapid decline and loss of some valuable habitats, restored wetlands and opened up pathways, making it good for wildlife and a much safer place for locals to spend time.”

“While both Birmingham and Solihull Councils retain overall responsibility for the open space”, says Olly, “it has been our independent Trust and local volunteers who’ve raised the grant funds from various resources and done work to restore and manage the Parkland.”

Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in who have worked tirelessly to ensure that it achieves the high standards required for the Green Flag Award.

“Quality parks and green spaces like the Castle Bromwich Parkland which make the country a heathier place to live and work in, and a stronger place in which to invest.

“Crucially, Castle Bromwich Historic Parkland is a vital green space for communities in Birmingham and Solihull to enjoy nature, and during the ongoing cost of living crisis it is a free and safe space for families to socialise. It also provides important opportunities for local people and visitors to reap the physical and mental health benefits of green space.”

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under
licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and
rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the
management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

 

We are very proud to have won this Green Flag Award because it is the benchmark standard for the management of outdoor spaces around the world. Highlighting the hard work that has been put into caring for our green spaces.

More about the Green Flag Awards

 

There are many things involved in the management of outdoor spaces and visiting judges score a site based on a list of 27 criteria. Which includes what they on the day and the sites management plan.

 

• A Welcoming Place
• Good and Safe Access
• Signage
• Equal Access to All
• Appropriate Provision of Quality Facilities and Activities
• Safe Equipment and Facilities
• Personal Security
• Control of Dogs/Dog Fouling
• Litter and Waste Management
• Horticultural Maintenance
• Arboricultural Maintenance
• Building and Infrastructure Maintenance
• Equipment Maintenance
• Managing Environmental Impact
• Waste Minimisation
• Chemical Use
• Peat Use
• Climate Change Adaption Strategies
• Management of Natural Features; Wild Fauna and Flora
• Conservation of Landscape Features
• Conservation of Buildings and Structures
• Community Involvement in Management and Development
• Appropriate Provision for Community
• Marketing and Promotion
• Appropriate Information Channels
• Appropriate Educational Interpretational Information
• Implementation of Management Plan

To find out more about what a Green Flag Award mean please click here. 

If you love our Green Flag Award winning Parkland as much as we do consider donating. As a charitable trust we greatly appreciate any support that comes our way.