Birmingham Botanical Gardens has appointed an operations director as it plans exciting developments to conserve and preserve the heritage site for future generations.

Arts and events specialist Rebecca Steen arrives from Birmingham Town Hall Symphony Hall, where she was box office manager for seven years.

 

 

The newly created role will see Rebecca bringing the operational departments together to help them achieve the strategic aims and objectives of the grade II* listed Gardens in Edgbaston, which is an independent charity that relies solely on revenue from visitors, members and charitable donations.

Her significant experience within the arts and events sector has seen her being invited to speak at a number of global events, including being keynote speaker at Spektrix Conference, TPC and UK Theatre, and being awarded a grant to speak at INTIX Conference 2020 in New York.

Welcoming Rebecca to the Gardens, which are located in Westbourne Road, chief executive James Wheeler said: “The Gardens first opened to the public in 1832 and since then it has been dedicated to conservation and preservation. Bec’s pivotal role will ensure we are working as strategically as possible and to help us realise our exciting plans for the future.”

Rebecca said: “I am excited at the vast opportunities there are here at the Gardens and hope my skills will bring a new perspective to the Gardens, which is one of the country’s most important botanical gardens.

“It’s not just an inspiring and beautiful place to work; it is an important heritage site that is loved by its staff, volunteers, trustees and visitors and which deserves its place as a leading destination in the city.

“As someone with a passion for the customer experience, I’m looking forward to getting started and working with everyone to put Birmingham Botanical Gardens on the map.”

Her appointment comes just weeks after the Gardens welcomed eight new trustees, who will help to lead the organisation.

As a charity, the Gardens, which is home to four Victorian glasshouses, receives no regular public funding. Instead, it relies on the generosity of public donations, grants and income it can generate through conferences, weddings and other events.

Set within a Conservation Area, it is a 15-acre oasis just one mile from the city centre and has more than 7,000 formally documented plants, with the largest and most diverse botanic collection in central England.

It also provides a unique educational resource and welcomes visits from nurseries up to colleges, as well as uniformed groups and adult learners.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens has welcomed eight new Trustees as it looks forward to a new chapter in its 189-year history.

The registered charity, which is based in Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, has appointed Trustees with a wide variety of expertise who will help to lead the organisation, which is one of the country’s most important botanical gardens.

James Wheeler, chief executive of the Gardens, said: “It’s wonderful to welcome these eight new Trustees who will support the Gardens over the next few years as we work to fulfil our obligations of conserving and safeguarding this amazing green space in the city.

“We have exciting plans for the future and it’s wonderful to see so many talented people who want to play a leading role in the work we do.”

The eight Trustees are:

Fiona Taylor – chief executive officer of Garden Organic, a charity that brings together thousands of people believe organic growing is essential for a healthy and sustainable world. Her background is in communications and campaigning, in particular, championing the UN Sustainable Development Goals covering issues such as fuel poverty, urban greening, deforestation and conservation.

Pamela Smith – a horticulturalist with more than 35 years’ experience in public parks, botanic and historic gardens and is a former director of Winterbourne, vice chair of PlantNetwork and CABE Space scholar. She is the National Trust’s senior advisor on gardens, parklands, horticulture and garden history.

Robyn McAllister – the head of major giving at national youth charity Street League. She has previously worked for organisations including Girlguiding and Phoenix Futures and specialises in high-value fundraising.  A new Birmingham resident, she was previously co-chair of Trustees of a local mental health charity.

Aikta Varma – the group financial controller at West Bromwich Building Society. She is a  chartered accountant with 15 years’ experience, having qualified at KPMG where she spent 10 years predominantly auditing financial services clients.

Lanre Lawal-Fatukasi – senior legal counsel at HSBC UK Bank plc. A practising solicitor with more than 16 years’ experience, her previous roles include sole legal counsel at Wesleyan Assurance Society and managing counsel at Nationwide Building Society. Lanre is also a Governor at Bleakhouse Primary School.

Rob Macpherson – marketing, communications and brand strategy expert, Rob has run the Impakt consultancy, a sister company of web designers Substrakt, since 2019. He formerly led marketing, communications and fundraising for subsidised and commercial touring at the Birmingham Hippodrome and led an extensive community programme. Recent arts, education and charity clients include The Royal Court; Leicester Haymarket; CORE Education Trust; Dance Woking, and Birmingham Ormiston Academy.

Heidi Leung – a senior education advisor for FFT Education Ltd, a leading non-profit organisation.  A key part of her advisor role is to ensure she keeps abreast of national education changes and their impact on school improvement strategies. Heidi also serves as a Trustee for a West Midlands-based multi-academy trust.

Diana Wardle – Diana is a chartered accountant with many years’ experience of running the finance departments of various companies in the private and voluntary sector. Her role at the Gardens is  Company Secretary.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which first opened to the public in 1832, is a 15-acre oasis just one mile from the city centre and set within a Conservation Area. It has more than 7,000 formally documented plants and is the largest and most diverse botanic collection in central England.

As well as the gardens, the charity also provides a unique educational resource and welcomes visits from nurseries up to colleges, as well as uniformed groups and adult learners. It receives no regular public funding and relies on public donations, grants and other income it can generate.

Amateur horticulturalists looking for inspiration on how to refresh their outdoor space are invited to head to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ newest feature: the Urban Garden.

Developed with the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, it comprises four separate areas – three small gardens and a balcony – and showcases what can be achieved in even the smallest of spaces.

The Gardens, which last month (August 2021) was voted the most popular place in Birmingham to “take a breath” in a survey commissioned by Taskforce for Lung Health, transformed the site to create the inspirational settings with raised beds, wall planters, pots and seating.

Wayne Williams, head gardener at the 15-acre historic attraction in Edgbaston, said: “We know visitors love to come to the Gardens to enjoy the quiet, green space and enjoy the visual feast of the plants we have here, but we also wanted to create a space where people who want to refresh their own gardens could get some ideas.

“The Urban Garden offers a fresh perspective on gardening in smaller spaces and we hope people who have downsized or who are starting gardening for the first time can pick up some tips on how to make the most of their space. It shows that even if you have just a small balcony, you can create something quite special to enjoy all year round.”

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is an independent charity that relies solely on memberships, visitors and charitable donations for its funding. The project was supported by a grant of £10,000 from the Birmingham City Council’s Local Innovation fund via Calthorpe Residents’ Society to develop a community hub at the Gardens. Another donation of £7,000 was made by The Property For Kids Trust.

It also received substantial support from: JG Landscaping; London Stone Paving Ltd; Wienerberger Ltd; and Urban Herbs, while thousands of pounds worth of materials were also secured by award-winning garden designer Martyn Wilson, of Wilson Associates Garden Design, who was commissioned to design and build the Urban Garden.

The historic, Grade II listed bandstand at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens has been restored to its former 1874 glory after six months of painstaking work by conservation specialists.

The local landmark, which sits in the Gardens’ Grade II* listed 15-acre grounds in Edgbaston, has been completely transformed, following a 12-month fundraising campaign that raised £138,000.

Extensive work included reinstating some original features – including the colour scheme, as well as restoring the roof and lead, timbers, brickwork, mouldings, gold finials and acoustic screen. There have also been sympathetic adaptations, such as new steps.

The bandstand, where Neville Chamberlain gave his first public speech as Prime Minister in 1937 and was later used as an air raid shelter in the Second World War, has been named The Peter Sowerby Bandstand, following a substantial donation from The Peter Sowerby Foundation.

Liz Frostick, development director at the charity, said it will be used as a platform for live music, weddings, other events, such as heritage and horticultural tours, and as an all-weather outdoor space for school groups.

“The bandstand looks stunning and we’re absolutely thrilled with the quality of the restoration work, which takes it back to its heyday, when it was first designed by distinguished Birmingham architect FB Osborn,” she said.

“It is a real testament to the expertise of the conservationists who went over every inch of the structure, used historic documents and drew on their expertise to restore it to how it looked when it was first unveiled almost 150 years ago.

“This local heritage gem will be a fantastic space for musicians and events. We’ve no doubt our visitors will appreciate the work that has been done to ensure it is safeguarded for another 50 years and beyond.”

Birmingham-based Donald Insall Associates, the architect practice that carried out the works, commissioned specialist paint restoration company Crick-Smith to undertake historic paint analysis to reveal how decorative schemes have evolved over the years.

Its examination revealed the bandstand has been redecorated up to 18 times during its history, with the earliest and most significant scheme, which dates back to 1874, identifying a two-tone treatment of dark blue/green with a dark red, both in lead-based oil paints – common during the Victorian era. This helped to inform the decorative scheme used in the bandstand’s restoration.

Matthew Vaughan, associate director at Donald Insall Associates, said the paint analysis also showed a dramatic change occurred in 1936, when bitumen was applied over the aluminium on the trellis and the rest of the structure was painted plain lead white.

The use of bitumen on the lower grilles was not found anywhere else and may relate to the start of the Second World War when the basement room was used as an air-raid shelter, he said.

The base was given an additional brick skim to block the window and the bright aluminium decoration was given a coat of black bitumen to minimise reflection.

“This conservation project has included repairs which restored lost features, such as the diamond pattern Welsh slates and colour scheme, as well as sympathetic adaptions to make it accessible to the public, including the addition of steps and adaption of the cast iron balustrade,” said Matthew.

“This project would not have been possible without the expertise and dedication of our team of contractors and consultants, including Crick-Smith, Mann Williams, PMP Consultants and contractor Reynolds Conservation, who together have reinstated the bandstand’s pride of place as a focal point in the Botanical Gardens.”

Ashley Reynolds, managing director of Reynolds Conservation Ltd, which undertook specialist joinery as well as manufacturing new lead box gutters, installing the diamond Welsh slate and gold leaf finials.

“We have really enjoyed working with Donald Insall, a highly skilled conservation practice, understanding what is involved with this flagship project and we’re pleased with the overall high standard of workmanship,” he said. “The bandstand will now have a great outside focal point in the gardens and bring great future prospects for everyone to enjoy.”

PMP Consultants were appointed as cost consultants for the project, which started in September 2020.

Martin Rowe, Senior Director of PMP Consultants, said: “It was a joy to work alongside the team to bring back the bandstand to its former glory. Having spent many years as a member of the Botanical Gardens it was a privilege to act as cost consultants.”

The project has had the support of several prestigious national and local trusts and foundations, as well as individual supporters. As well as the major donation from the Peter Sowerby Foundation, without which the project would not have been possible, the Gardens also received donations from: The Garfield Weston Foundation, GJW Turner Trust, 29th May 1961 Trust, Loppylugs & Barbara Morrison Trust, Feeney Trust,  Grimmitt Trust, Limoges Trust, and George Henry Collins Trust.

As a charity the Gardens, which is one of the UK’s most historically important botanic gardens and is home to four Victorian glasshouses, receives no regular public funding. Instead, it relies on the generosity of public donations, grants and income it can generate through conferences, weddings and other events.

It’s April, so the weather is decidedly spring-like – one day it’s beautiful warm temperatures, the next it’s cold north winds and even snow. Whatever the weather, though, there’s always something to warm the heart and cheer the soul at the gardens. 

It’s been fantastic to see so many visitors taking advantage of the new guidelines and meeting safely with family and friends in our beautiful grounds. You might have seen us recently on BBC Midlands Today, too, when a reporter came down to chat to the team and to those who were enjoying the early spring sun, while the early evening news bulletin broadcast the weather report from the lawn. It’s always fun to show reporters and camera crews around – they are spoiled for choice when it comes to beautiful scenery.

We always enjoy chatting to visitors, too, who are invariably curious about some of the plants we have and the work we are doing. We’ve always got a few minutes to spare if you have any questions about the planting here, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

April will continue to be a busy month for the team. Although the glasshouses will remain closed until at least May 17, pending Government announcements, we are still tending to the plants in there and will be increasing the watering this month. We’re looking forward to unveiling the displays when we can.

We’ll also be potting on 4,000 bedding plant plugs in the nursery for our summer bedding schemes. It won’t be long before we start to plant them out in the car park, Terrace and bandstand – usually towards the end of May – and we can promise you another beautiful and colourful display.

Lawn mowing starts in earnest and we’ll be heading out on the mowers to the main lawn, west lawn, on the terrace, near the aviary, and the grass path in the grass garden, making sure we keep the blades high for the first couple of cuts so as not to “shock” the grass. We recommend you do the same for your lawns, too.

If you have been to visit us over the past few weeks, you’ll have noticed the work taking place at the bandstand. Now it is fully restored (more on this soon), we’ll be enhancing it with shrubs that tolerate permanent shade and drought. Many of these will come from the subtropical beds outside on the terrace, which will enable us to have a new planting scheme in that area in the summer. Watch this space for details about that.

Rockery and alpine fans should also head to the new Alan King Alpine Garden and Rock Garden, which is looking fantastic. It is stocked with gorgeous specimens, many of which are flowering for the first time. This part of the gardens will also have beautiful magnolias and displays of spring bulbs.

If you are planning to come and see us in the Easter holidays, we look forward to welcoming you. You can buy tickets here if you want to book in advance.

March is a time for new beginnings in the garden as the spring flowers and trees begin to wake up from their winter rest. It heralds a busy time for gardeners everywhere, and it is certainly no different here!

This month, as the temperatures begin to rise and the soil starts to heat up, the team and our wonderful volunteers will start their ongoing battle with the weeds. As any gardener knows, weeds grow quickly, so it’s a full-time job keeping on top of the borders to keep them weed-free. A little bit of work, often, is always a good plan as it means you can remove any weeds while they are small and their roots weaker.

We’ll also mulch the tree circles with compost to help stop weed seedlings from growing.

As well as weeding, we’ll also feed the herbaceous borders with a slow-release blood fish and bone fertiliser, which will give the soil a much-needed boost, while the rose garden will be fed and mulched, ready for the roses to spring into life.

How have your displays of snowdrops been so far? We’ve had a superb display again this year in the woodland walk. The best time to move snowdrops is straight after flowering while they are “still in the green”, so we’ll be dividing some clumps in the woodland walk and using the divisions to fill gaps.

March is also the month for cutting down the remaining deciduous grasses in our grass garden. As we have so many grasses to cut down, we use a hedge trimmer and this makes way for spring and early summer flowering plants, such as alliums, lupins and irises. Once these have flowered, the grasses will grow back and cover up the scruffy foliage until next year.

Don’t forget it’s Mother’s Day on March 14 – our garden centre has wonderful plants and gifts for the most important woman in your life. You don’t have to book to visit the Garden to gain entry to the garden centre; just turn up and head straight in.

We hope to see you in the Gardens this month, enjoying what the early spring weather has to offer. It’s such a wonderful space in which to while away a couple of hours or more, and it’s always a pleasure to talk to you about gardening.