It is with great sadness that we are reporting the death of Ivan Bullard a founding member of the New Shoots Gardening Club and one of WEGA’s longest-serving plot holders.
For over 25 years, Ivan was a tenant at our allotment site in Black Pit Lane. Originally taking on a plot as a lunchtime retreat from his challenging job as a secondary school teacher at Saltley Academy, he eventually became a committed and hard-working plot holder.
Born in Ipswich, Ivan went to Grammer school at an early age, progressing to University College London then eventually to Corpus Christi College at Oxford University where he studied Classics. After graduation, Ivan spent time in the Navy where he became a Lieutenant for intelligence and communications. After this Ivan spent time in the Portuguese British Council and eventually spent seven years in Rome, teaching the children of dignitaries and diplomats in a private school.
It wasn’t until he was the ripe old age of 40 that he came to Birmingham! He responded to an advertisement for a job teaching English to children in migrant families. He devoted over 25 years to this, where he finally retired in 1997.
Ivan had a very busy retirement! He divided his time between teaching children privately, doing his gardens (and many other peoples), and working on his plots at Black Pit Lane. He had a passion for his allotments and in particular, a fondness for laying brick paths. Having no car, he would be known to wheelbarrow bricks from as far away as Handsworth or Bearwood! He would grow all sorts of crops during that time, but would brag that he never ever bought a seed in his life! Whatever he planted was taken from previous crops or cuttings.
Ivan loved to be busy and constantly active. He was a very serving man, and would often help people with their gardens or allotments, sometimes being left to do all the work! Ivan never complained though. He finally gave up his plot in 2018 when at the tender young age of 86 he thought it was all a little too much! That wasn’t the end of his association with WEGA though.
Ivan was a founder member of the New Shoots Gardening Club which was set up on a plot at the St Margarets Road site in October 2019. Initially aiming at over-50’s who were socially isolated, we were glad to have someone with Ivan’s allotment experience in the group. He contributed seeds he’d collected, helped with seed sowing, watering, and other tasks needed to get the Club established and achieve our first harvest. Then throughout the first lockdown, he helped sort out items to go in the Grow-Your-Own-At-Home packs prepared for the Unity Hubb/WEGA project aimed at families who weren’t able to take advantage of allotment visits for outside recreation.
Throughout 2020 he was a regular attender, walking from his flat further along Northleigh Road, even when his mobility declined and it was a struggle. In early 2021, he was still able to do things like sieve our home-made compost and rake the soil, and was happy to be kept informed of what was happening after he became housebound. I think we all recognise through him that gardening can be a wonderful activity to keep you going, active and feeling appreciated in your later years, and we miss his distinctive presence on the site.
In 2020, Ivan finally lost his mobility. While unable to venture outdoors, members of WEGA were able to keep in touch and maintain visits to him. However, during a routine visit to Heartlands hospital in January, Ivan contracted Covid 19, became weak, and eventually died of congestive heart failure on the morning of 30/01/2022.
He was a devoted allotmenteer, friend, and thoroughly decent human being. He was an asset to his teaching profession and the organisation where we had the pleasure of knowing him.
Ivan Bullard will be sorely missed. RIP (1932-2022)
His funeral will be held at Yardley Crematorium, Yardley Rd, Yardley, Birmingham B25 8NA at 14:30 on the 17th of February where you will be welcome to attend.
You are invited to attend the Toby Carvery Sheldon (Wheatsheaf) after the funeral.