Broomfield Park NEWS

The Mystery Vase

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:27:56 GMT

Some things we know and others we don't

Visitors walking beside the lake opposite Broomfield House may have noticed an unusual stone bowl decorated with grapes, vine handles and bearded faces. Long part of the park landscape, its origins have been something of a mystery.

Recent enquiries suggest that the feature may be the surviving bowl from a replica of the celebrated Warwick Vase . Conservation specialist Spencer Hall , formerly Head of Conservation at PAYE Conservation , has examined images of the piece and believes it is likely to be the upper section of a Coade stone version of the famous vase.

Coade stone was a remarkable artificial stone developed in the late eighteenth century by the entrepreneur Eleanor Coade at her Lambeth manufactory. Made from a ceramic composite fired at high temperatures, it proved extremely durable and was widely used for architectural decoration and garden ornaments. Many Coade sculptures remain in excellent condition more than two hundred years after they were made.

The original Warwick Vase is a large second-century Roman marble vessel discovered in 1771 at Hadrian’s Villa near Tivoli in Italy. After restoration it stood for nearly two centuries at Warwick Castle , becoming one of the most admired classical objects of the Georgian period and inspiring numerous replicas for gardens and estates.

The Broomfield Park example would originally have stood on a pedestal and base, which no longer survive. Local recollections also suggest the feature was stolen at one point and later recovered, spending some time stored in a shed at Pymmes Park before being reinstated in the park.

Exactly when or why the vase came to Broomfield Park is still unknown, and its earlier history has yet to be uncovered. However, its identification as a probable Coade stone replica of the Warwick Vase adds another intriguing piece to the park’s historic landscape.

Friends of Broomfield Park would be very interested to hear from anyone who may have further information about the vase and its history in the park.

Help us to tell the story of Broomfield House and Park

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:13:58 GMT

Call out for heritage volunteers

Broomfield House and Park has been at the heart of this community for nearly 500 years — a family estate, a school, a clinic, a museum, and a café.

Now, as our beloved bandstand reaches its centenary and Broomfield House is given a new lease of life as a historic ruin, we want to make sure stories of the house and park are recorded and told properly; and we need your help to do it.

Whether you have personal memories of the house and park, a passion for local history, or skills in research or community outreach, there's a role for you. You don't need any prior connection to the house or its history — curiosity and enthusiasm are just as valuable as lived experience. This is a genuine opportunity to shape what visitors of all ages learn and discover about this remarkable place — and to help connect the wider community with a history that belongs to all of us.

We're looking for people to help with:

 Sharing and collecting memories and oral histories
 Researching the house and park
 Telling interesting stories
 Reaching out across the community
 Helping make the history of this place relevant and exciting for new audiences

All levels of experience are welcome. You can give as little as a couple of hours or get more involved over the coming months.

Interested? Fill in our short feedback form here

Questions? Contact us at info@fobp.uk

Habitats Group Review: 2025

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:04:47 GMT

A Year of Growth, Resilience, and Record-Breaking Butterflies

We are pleased to share the 2025 Review from the Friends of Broomfield Park Habitats Group . This annual report, prepared by Matthew Pierce, offers a detailed look at the work carried out by our volunteers over the past year and the impact it has had on the park’s wildlife .

Work on the Ground

The team had a busy year in 2025. We shifted focus to learning traditional management skills, successfully laying our first section of hedge to improve density for nesting birds. We also undertook several heavy tasks, including installing posts to protect meadow areas from mowers, clearing brambles, and establishing a new wildflower meadow in the growing space,

Wildlife Survey Results

The report highlights some encouraging responses from local wildlife. We recorded 22 different butterfly species in the park this year. Most notably, we saw record numbers of Common Blue butterflies, with sightings far higher than in previous years. We also noted healthy numbers of Brimstones, Peacocks, and Commas, suggesting that our habitat management is moving in the right direction.

Challenges and Future Plans

It has not been without difficulties; vandalism in the growing space remains an ongoing issue that consumes volunteer time and resources. Looking ahead to 2026, the group plans to pause on starting large new projects. Instead, the focus will be on maintaining current habitats, monitoring species, and assessing the condition of the park's perimeter trees.

Thank You

This work relies on the effort of our regular Wednesday volunteers and support from partners including The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe , Enfield Council , Thames 21 , and corporate groups. We are grateful for grant funding provided by the Chapman Charitable Trust which supported our activities in 2025.

We hope you find the full review interesting .

If you would like to get involved with the Habitats Group, or any other area of volunteer work in Broomfield Park, Please get in touch

Broomfield Wetlands Tree Removal

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 13:13:36 GMT

Maintaining and Preserving the Wetlands in Broomfield Park

Enfield Council, Thames21 and Friends of Broomfield Park are glad to announce a major tree removal initiative in Broomfield Park Wetlands this winter. This is necessary to preserve the wetlands for the future .

There are numerous willow trees on the wetlands banks and islands, growing only 40–60cm apart. They are up to 12m tall, with trunks up to 25cm thick, and are having the following undesirable effects:

Shading out the reeds, hence inhibiting the wetlands’ water-cleaning function.
Shading out marginal wildflowers, reducing the wetlands’ public amenity and wildlife value.
Drying out the wetlands, threatening its long-term viability.

The plan is to remove nearly all of these willows (which can still grow even bigger), while retaining other trees such as hazels and alders, which are slower-growing and more manageable.

Excavating trees with machinery would damage the banks and surrounding areas, so we have decided instead to use ‘eco-plugs’ (weedkiller capsules) to kill them. The procedure is to cut the tree down and insert the plug into the stump. This is environmentally safe as the toxic effect is limited to the target trees.

We will start work in January 2026. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:39:20 GMT

Palmers Green School Visits Broomfield Park

The Friends of Broomfield Park were delighted to welcome a group of Year 4 students from Palmers Green School this week as part of our ongoing and successful school visits programme .

In recent years our volunteers have invited young people to discover the rich biodiversity right on their doorstep in Broomfield Park. Visits include exploring the wetlands, learning about bees and pollination in our orchard, (also known as the ‘secret garden’) and witnessing the fascinating life in and around the lakes including meeting our resident swan couple, Julia and Caesar.

This week Palmers Green School students explored the wetlands and conducted a hands-on water filtration experiment. They also chatted with our volunteer, Jenny, about water birds living in the lakes.

Demonstrating a true sense of community spirit, the students finished their visit by rolling up their sleeves for a litter-picking session. They managed to fill a whole bag with rubbish, making a real contribution to keeping our much-loved green space clean and welcoming.

Shipla Sharma, a teacher at Palmers Green School, shared her thoughts on the visit:

"Thank you so much for having us. It was inspiring to see all that you do for the community and how thoughtfully you prepared for our visit. Your kindness and dedication shine through in every part of the park, which truly feels like a special place for everyone who spends time there. We’re very grateful for the experience."

We are thrilled to consider these students part of the Broomfield Park family! Activities like these are central to our mission to nurture and inform through educational initiatives.

Find out more about our education programme here .

Commemorating United Nations Day

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 11:24:47 GMT

Broomfield Park hosts memorial event

On Friday 17th October Broomfield Park hosted an event held by Enfield and the Barnets United Nations Association in the Garden of Remembrance to Mark United Nations Day.

The event commemorated the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter coming into force in October 1945 and was marked by the unveiling of the restored birdbath in the Garden, which had originally been donated by the League of Nations Union.EBUNA had commissioned London Stone Works to refurbish the birdbath.

Various individuals gave speeches, including Ann Cable , Representative Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Bambos Charalambous MP, Joanne McCartney , Deputy Mayor of London, Councillor Doug Taylor Enfield Council, The Chair and Treasurer of EBUNA and Francis Sealey from Enfield Climate Action Forum. About 25 people attended in all and were invited for refreshments at the Palmers Greenery Community Café afterwards.

Make Space for Girls In Broomfield Park

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 09:27:33 GMT

Broomfield Park project featured in national fundraising campaign

The next stage of a campaign to make Broomfield Park a more welcoming and inclusive space for everyone in our community is underway. The " Make Space for Girls " project, with a special focus on teenage girls, is a collaborative effort between the Palmers Greenery Community Cafe, the Friends of Broomfield Park, Enfield Council, and the national charity Make Space for Girls. The project will create a dedicated youth space within the park, designed with the specific needs of local girls in mind.

It's a fact that many public spaces, including parks, are often dominated by males. Facilities like skate parks, BMX tracks, and caged pitches are overwhelmingly used by boys, which can leave teenage girls feeling excluded and without a place of their own.

The issue is outlined in the video below, filmed in Broomfield Park to support a national fundraising campaign for The Make Space for Girls Charity. A lack of inclusive spaces can have a significant negative impact on the physical and mental health of girls, and non-binary young people, limiting their opportunities for outdoor recreation and social connection.

To ensure the facilities in Broomfield Park truly meet the needs of its intended users, a series of workshops were held in the spring of 2024 with ten local girls aged 13-18. During these sessions, the girls shared their experiences of the park and their ideas for how it could be improved . Their valuable input is now being used to develop a proposal for a vibrant new youth space where girls can feel comfortable, safe, and engaged. Detailed plans will be revealed shortly and reviewed by the project team before taking shape in the park.

Our local initiative in Broomfield Park is part of an important wider national movement. The Make Space for Girls charity is campaigning for systemic change, advocating for all public spaces in the UK to be designed with teenage girls in mind. The Friends of Broomfield Park, by supporting this local project, are not only improving our own community but also providing a working demonstration of how to create a park that truly serves everyone.

To help bring this vision to life in other spaces across the UK, a new fundraising campaign has been launched with the goal of raising £5,000 to support the National Charity. Thanks to the Big Give's Women and Girls Match Fund, every pound donated between 8th October and 15th October will be doubled, turning individual donations into a total of £10,000. This funding is crucial for researching and supporting new youth spaces in the UK and ensuring they become a reality.

Contributions to the Big Give will support equitable access to outdoor space and a fairer and more equal society for all. Your donation, no matter the size, will make a real difference.

Find out more about Make Space for Girls in Broomfield Park
Find out more about Make Space for Girls nationally
Find out more about the Big Give fundraising campaign Oct 8th - 15th

Broomfield Park volunteers achieve Six Enfield in Bloom Awards

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:19:31 GMT

Park Volunteers recognised for their care and maintenance of Broomfield Park

Enfield in Bloom is an annual competition, encouraging local residents, schools, and businesses to participate in creating beautiful floral displays across the borough. Enfield in Bloom aims to enhance the local environment, promote community involvement, and celebrate horticultural creativity.

In recent years Friends of Broomfield Park have participated in the award scheme – with some considerable success – but for the 2025 Award we are delighted to announce our best ever results. Six awards – three Golds, two Silvers and a Bronze – recognise the exceptional quality of horticultural maintenance and improvement across all of Broomfield Park’s volunteer Projects.

In the category “ Exceptional Horticultural Contribution for the Local Community ” both the Broomfield Park walled garden and Conservatory won gold awards. A silver award for the Broomfield Park Community Orchard completes the Broomfield hat-trick in this category.

Two projects were recognised in the “ Best Environmental / Wildlife Garden ” with the wildflower Meadow awarded silver and the wildlife pond achieving the third Broomfiled Gold Award.

The Broomfield Park community Growing Space was awarded bronze in the “ Best Innovative Growing Space ” section.

The awards are a testament to the hugely impressive work of FoBP volunteer groups who work tirelessly to nurture and cherish our park. Alongside the volunteers, resident horticulturalist Victoria Black and the Enfield Council Parks Management Team and gardeners must also be celebrated for their work on these projects.

Broomfield House Consultation Extended

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 07:09:41 GMT

Last chance to have your say on the future of Broomfield House

The deadline for responses to the consultation on the future of Broomfield House has been extended until Sunday 3rd August so there is still time to have your say!

The Friends of Broomfield Park have produced a statement setting out our collective approach to the design phase of the project – you can read the document on the FoBP website . We hope that the ideas we have put forward will help inform your own response.

You can still share your comments until Sunday 3rd August the design team are keen to hear about how the house can once more become a focal point in the park:

View the exhibition panels online and
Complete the "Unlocking Broomfield Park" consultation questionnaire , which asks for your views on the ideas presented in the exhibition panels.

Please use this opportunity to let the design team know your thoughts on the future of Broomfield House, The Lakes and the park landscape.

An overview of the whole "Unlocking Broomfield Park" project can be seen on the L. B. Enfield website .

Unlocking Broomfield - Public Consultation

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:54:08 GMT

Have your say about the future of Broomfield House, Park and Lakes

Come and meet the team working on the plans for Broomfield House. Sunday 20 July, from 11am to 3pm, in the park near Broomfield House.

This event is part of a series of workshops and community drop-in sessions during 2025. Design staff from Sally Prothero Landscape Architecture and Studio ONB will be in the park to answer your questions and help you share any ideas you have for the project.

If you cannot attend in person, you can still share your views by viewing the exhibition panels online and completing the Unlocking Broomfield Park consultation questionnaire .

More information:

Download a flyer
Visit the project page on the Enfield Council Website

Unearthing the Past Together

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:59:09 GMT

Discovering Broomfield Park’s Archaeological Heritage

Over two lively weekends this spring, Broomfield Park became the site for an Archeological exploration led by the Enfield Archaeological Society (EAS). This was part of the "Unlocking Broomfield for the Community" initiative, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project excavated part of the park’s historic gardens in search of an 18th-century water channel - and brought the public right into the heart of the action.

More than 350 locals engaged through the outreach programme. Around 40% of excavation volunteers were new to archaeology, and their enthusiasm was matched by curious park visitors, children playing archaeologist-for-a-day at the Open Day sandpits, and Year Five pupils from Hazelwood Primary School, who explored artefacts and excavation techniques both on-site and in their classrooms.

A highlight was seeing first-hand how archaeological interpretation evolves—from early sketches to real trench discoveries—and how even a humble fragment of pottery can unlock stories of everyday life.

The dig offered not only insights into Broomfield’s past but a glimpse into what community-led heritage can achieve.

Download the full outreach report .
Read the technical excavation report on the Enfield Archaeological Society website

Art is ... Expressing Yourself

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 14:44:02 GMT

Exhibition from Friends of Broomfield Park community art sessions

“Art is ... Expressing yourself. ” is an exhibition of the unique, inspiring and transformative art created by participants Art Activity Sessions held by the Friends of Broomfield Park for clients and carers of the Bourne Hill and Queen Anne's Care Homes and the local Mental Health Trust.

Friends' co-chair David March, who coordinates the twice-weekly sessions, said: "The groups are really excited about this second opportunity to exhibit their art after the fantastic exhibition last August. Like last year's, this year's event showcases the creativity of participants and celebrates the caring and supportive community which gives them an opportunity to express themselves. ... we are like a family "

The Exhibition will be staged until Sunday 31st August at the Southgate Club Art Gallery, Chase side, Southgate. N14 5PB.

The entrance to the Southgate Club is in Chase Side Southgate (next door to the former police station) and the club opening times are:

Mondays - Thursdays 5.00pm - 11.00pm
Fridays: 3.00pm - 11.30pm
Saturday 12.00noon - 11.30pm
Sundays: 12.00noon - 8.00pm

Ring the bell for admission

A DIFFERENT LIFE FOR AN OLD BOWLING GREEN

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 09:37:29 GMT

It has been 10 years since the space was used for bowling

The old bowling green has not been used or maintained as such for over 10 years. It has however been used by FoBP as an important venue for park community events (FoBP Broomfield Park Events); for local school visits and providing a protected area for other groups such as Community Mental Health, Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, REACH (for excluded school children) and West Lea (complex SEN groups) and holiday tennis schools.

The green has become an important wildlife habitat supporting biodiversity in balance with the other functions. The substrate is a thin poorly fertile sandy layer on a hard sub base which drains well and allows particular wildflowers to thrive and prevents overgrowth of coarse grasses and brambles. In the summer many event visitors will have witnessed the large ‘clouds’ of minor bees suddenly emerging and buzzing (harmlessly) just above ground level. In the spring the green is covered in blooms of wildflowers (a mess to some!).

The FoBP Habitats group manage this with bi annual scything and removal of green hay for composting). A lot of work has been done to clear overgrown hedging and remove the concrete panels of the perimeter ditch and fill with grit for seeding with particular wildflowers to support particular butterflies. We are already seeing signs of success with return of common blue white letter hairstreak butterflies among others.

We have been making bird and bat boxes with several of our groups and placing them around. Our local bird spotter reports a great variety of birds in the surrounds on the FoBP Facebook page.

Despite lacking the appearance of a pristine lawn there is an awful lot of volunteer work that goes into this, one of many areas actively worked on throughout the year. Come and join with FoBP, perhaps, contribute ideas to help improve your views and understanding as well as helping your own sense of health well-being from working outdoors with nature and other volunteers?

Unlocking Broomfield Park Team announced

Fri, 23 May 2025 16:21:48 GMT

Appointment of the Landscape-led multidisciplinary team

Following the early activity around the National Lottery Heritage Fund Project "Unlocking Broomfield Park" It has been confirmed this week that the contract for landscape-led multidisciplinary team has been awarded to Sally Prothero Landscape Architecture working with Studio ONB - Landscape Architecture and Public Realm - Clippings and their multidisciplinary team.

Sally has managed staff and large teams for over 20 successful HLF/NLHF projects. Sally has started to mobilise for the start of RIBA Stage 2 or Concept Design. The new team will do this working closely with many other partners including LBE officials, Artelia Group and the Community Steering Group. More news will be forthcoming in mid-June detailing next steps and a report to the Community Steering Group meeting.

The organisational structure of the team is attached.

Enfield Archaeological Society Dig in Broomfield Park

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:26:04 GMT

Exploring the Heritage of Broomfield House

Enfield Archaeological Society conducted an initial weekend of investigation in Broomfield Park to explore a potential undocumented ornamental canal behind the house.

Aerial photography and geophysical surveys have outlined a possible location although this feature doesn't appear on historical maps of Broomfield Parks extensive Baroque water gardens,

A trench laid across a clear line in the grass suggesting the canal's path, has now revealed gravel banks. Between the banks, deposits of pebbles, brickearth, and brick fragments were found, although surprisingly shallow at only 40cm. There were some interesting finds - mostly 19th and 20th century, associated with the canal's infilling, suggesting it went out of use in that period and might not have been long-lived.

A second weekend of digging is planned on Saturday 3rd to Sunday 5th May, with a second trench targeting the canal's apparent northern end, where a water supply might have been located. The aim is to find evidence of the canal's construction date.

This weekend will include a public open day on Saturday 3rd May 10:30am to 3:30pm where you can meet the archaeologists and find out more about the project - full details here

Model Boats Return to Broomfield Park!

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 22:09:11 GMT

Great to see the boating pond back in use!

After completion of the renovation to the historic boating pond, the model boats are back on the water in Broomfield Park!

Originally created in 1903, the pond has been a cherished feature of the park for over a century.

The Broomfield Model Boat Club has been a vibrant part of our community for many years, bringing enthusiasts together to share their passion for model boating.

Pictured with the model cruise ship is Paul, models. Also expect lots more boats at Palmers Green festival on 7th September.

Come down on Sunday mornings, enjoy the view, and watch these miniature marvels glide across the water.

Boating Pond Update – a long journey!

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:50:10 GMT

It has been a long time coming....!

As many of you are aware, our boating pond has remained empty for the last 6 years .

The Friends of Broomfield Park have been working with the London Borough of Enfield to find a solution to refurbish and restore the pond. Without a working pump, the water stagnates and attracts algae that can be poisonous to animals. It is therefore important to regularly empty and refill the pond with fresh water.

This has been a difficult piece of engineering and we are pleased with the outcome.

We look forward to welcoming back an area of the park that hasn’t been enjoyed as it should have been for such a long time.

The pond is now full and will be regularly topped up over the summers months. Below is a timeline of events:

Photo: Maria Dimitrova

Unlocking Broomfield Park Mural Project

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:22:41 GMT

Palmers Green "Paint Jam": street artists, muralists & spray paint workshop.

Find out more about the "Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community" project on the Enfield Website

Volunteers needed for School Visits to Broomfield Park

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 14:54:35 GMT

Call out for volunteers to support school visit programme

For many years the Friends of Broomfield Park volunteers have been welcoming local primary schools to visit the park for educational activities and learn about nature and wildlife on their doorstep.

As the programme expands to include more school groups, attending multiple educational workshops, we need to more volunteers to support the visits. Last year, almost 200 children from years one and two in local primary schools took park in workshop activities at Broomfield Park. As we prepare for a new term of school visits we want to hear from people who are interested in joining the team to help youngsters understand the significance of preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity at Broomfield Park.

Our current dedicated team of volunteers generously contribute their time to design, plan and deliver these sessions. Volunteers come from a range of backgrounds including teachers, GPs, microbiologists, corporate business and many more. But no special expertise is needed to participate - we will organise induction events to familiarise new recruits with our workshops and the existing volunteer leaders.

If you think you might may be interested in joining the school volunteer team - please complete this form and we will get back to you with an invitation to a new volunteers introduction session - no obligation!

A report from The Enfield Dispatch provides more background to the schools programme.

Come and be part of supporting future generations of Friends of Broomfield Park and introduce local youngsters to nature!

RSPB fundraising visit to Broomfield Park

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 11:25:21 GMT

Celebrating the birds and wildfowl in our park

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) will hosting a fundraising event in Broomfield park on Wednesday 26th March 2025 from 9am – 5pm.

The fundraising visits are aimed at inspiring members of the public to ‘Give Nature a Home’ whilst sharing the amazing work of the RSPB.

Visitors have the opportunity to become actively involved by joining the RSPB as a member with a regular donation, should they wish to.

The RSPB will also have a stall at the Palmers Green Festival later this year.

“An RSPB local group is a voice for nature within a local community. Each group strives to raise awareness and funds for nature at a grassroots level – and with around 130 groups across the UK, their collective efforts are making a big difference.

The groups are a perfect opportunity to connect with people in your area who have a common interest in nature and fundraising, all while giving back. “. – RSPB

Broomfield Park is home to many species of birds - the Lakes Team page of this website includes a comprehensive list of waterfowl you can spot in the park. .

Palmers Greenery Community Cafe Supporting Broomfield Park

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:28:59 GMT

Funding for three projects to enhance Broomfield Park

The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe has long been a champion of practical work to maintain and improve Broomfield Park. Since the inception of the Cafe as a social enterprise, led by Sarah Cotton and powered by a team of wonderful volunteers , the surplus funds generated through sales have been re-invested back into Broomfield Park projects, both Improving the environment and enhancing the well-being of park visitors.

Recently three separate areas have benefited from generous donations of £1,000 each.

The relationship between the Palmers Greenery Community Cafe and the Friends of Broomfield Park is a very close and beneficial one. The Friends of Broomfield Park are grateful for the practical support offered to park projects and we always value the warm welcome and warming coffee on offer at the Greenery.

Find out more about the Palmers Greenery Community Cafe

FoBP Volunteers sharing the success from Broomfield Park

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:13:19 GMT

Online Seminar on volunteer-led community gardens

FoBP Volunteers, David March and Kim Lumley , will be sharing the successes of the Friends of Broomfield Park with other Friends Groups across London in a online seminar. David and Kim will be focusing on the ongoing operation of the Community Orchard and detailing the events and activities which take place there.

The live-stream event will take place on Monday 17th Mar 2025 12 midday to 1 pm, it is organised by the London Branch of CRPE - The Countryside Charity - with the London Friends of Green Spaces Network .

The event is free to join - you can get full details and reserve a ticket at the link below.

Open Public Meeting

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:52:45 GMT

FoBP - Becoming a Registered Charity

The Friends of Broomfield Park were delighted to welcome over 40 people to an open public meeting at the Ruth Winston Centre on Tuesday 28th January.

The purpose of the evening was to

Explain how and why FoBP has become a charity
Explain the charity’s purposes
Invite local people to find out more and contribute to FoBP development

Becoming a registered charity is a complex process so it was important to outline what is what is happening and why. If you want to find out more our website has a dedicated page which gives more detail and is a good place to start.

An abridged version of the slide presentation from the meeting is available to view online .

It was really good to hear about what the local community valued in the park – the range of contributions is summarised in the word cloud below, (largest words were repeated more often, smaller less frequently), with the full text available as a download below.

We also asked wanted to know how we might focus our development priorities, and a very wide range of ideas were discussed; summarised in this image below. These ideas broadly fall into two categories - those that relate to the fabric and infrastructure of the park and those that relate to the activities and events the Friends of Broomfield Park organise, to engage and include our local community. We will be lobbying the council on the former and setting future plans to take forward these suggestions.

The Friends of Broomfield Park charity will build on the dedication and talents of our volunteers, who do great work in the Conservatory, Long Border, Wetlands, and wildlife habitats. We’ll also engage with park users to discover new ways to enhance the park and better meet their needs.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch weekend

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:24:40 GMT

Record the birds that visit Broomfield Park

The annual birdwatch weekend - organised by the RSPB - invites participants to spend an hour looking at and recording the birds you see in your garden ... or your local park. It runs from 24th to 26th January.

The RSPB website contains full details on how to take part , to help the national census of birds. As well as private gardens, the RSPB also want to know which birds are regular visitors to our parks, why not sign-up and record the birds you can see in Broomfield Park?

As our recently published Habitats Group report shows, several rare species have been spotted in the park over the last year. In addition we also have a large number of waterfowl in the lakes of several different species. Getting out in the park for an hour to seek out our feathered friends can be a fun thing to do - as well as contributing to a national study - every bird you count helps towards valuable insight into how our garden - and park - birds are faring.

Public Open Meeting

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 15:09:33 GMT

Find out about the FoBP becoming a charity

The Friends of Broomfield Park is in the process of becoming a registered charity— details of our progress can be found on our website . As we approach the official launch of this new structure in the spring, we warmly invite all members, volunteers, and park visitors to join us for our Open Meeting on Tuesday, January 28th.

Discover the benefits of FoBP's transition to charity status; what new possibilities could arise? What enhancements would enrich your experience and that of fellow visitors to the park?

The meeting will :

Explain how and why FoBP has become a charity
Explain the charity’s purposes
Give you an opportunity to ask questions and contribute to FoBP development

Tuesday 28th January 18.00 The meeting should last about an hour, dependent on length of discussions.

Ruth Winston Centre
190 Green Lanes,
Palmers Green
N13 5UE

Map of meeting location

Broomfield Park Habitats Group - Review of 2024

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 16:14:14 GMT

Creating and managing wildlife habitats in Broomfield Park

The Broomfield Park Habitats Group had another very successful year in 2024 ensuring the abundant flora, fauna and wildlife habitats in Broomfield Park are preserved and improved .

Matthew Pierce has produced a comprehensive report on the impressive work of the regular volunteers who support the Broomfield Park Habitats group. The document is a review of the activities and projects undertaken by the Habitats Group in Broomfield Park in 2024.The Volunteers manage wildlife habitats in the park, their work includes a seasonal cycle of mowing, raking, and reed cutting to maintain the wildflower meadow and wetlands. in addition the group record wildflower, butterfly and bird species in the park to demonstrate the impact of their ongoing work and new projects. .

The team includes six regular volunteers and additional support from groups and individuals throughout the year.

Highlights of 2024 include successful early-season mowing of the meadow, aiding wildflower restoration, and new wildflower species and new planting helped establish butterfly habitats around the wetlands. A new compost system was also set up.

You can download the full report and do get in touch if you would like to volunteer with the Habitats Group .

Another Succesful Year for Broomfield Park

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 17:42:52 GMT

Annual Report from the Friends of Broomfield Park

The recent Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Broomfield Park saw the publication of our Annual Report - which is available to download from our website - the meeting also elected the new members of the Committee who will lead the work of the organisation over the forthcoming year.

It has been another busy year in Broomfield Park with an enormous range of events activities and volunteer effort all contributing to the fun and enjoyment in our glorious park.

This year has seen some longer-running projects nearing their conclusion – such as the Boating Pond restoration and conservatory refurbishment - as well other projects starting, including the long-awaited development of Broomfield House . As well as specific projects, the ongoing work to maintain and improve the long border in the walled garden, the wildlife habitats, the conservatory and the wetlands continues through the incredible work of our wonderful volunteers. The recognition of this work with five Enfield in Bloom Awards demonstrates the quality and range of our volunteers’ contribution.

We were reminded how Broomfield Park is much-loved by its local community at the recent Palmers Green Festival – the biggest community event in the borough of Enfield – over 7,000 people attended the event and many conversations with visitors to the Friends of Broomfield Park stall were very complimentary about the park and its central role in our community. This report sets out the work we have completed over the last year and identifies some plans for the future.

We would welcome new members to join The Friends of Broomfield Park , get involved in the committee directing the work of the organisation and volunteering in the park.

Unlocking Broomfield Park - community engagement

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 16:39:08 GMT

Introducing John Cole leading on community engagement on Broomfield House and Park project

John Cole has been appointed to lead on community engagement activities forming part of the Development Phase of the “ Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community ” heritage project.

He will work with existing organisations already actively involved in the area, leading on the public-facing activities that will promote this phase of the project to Enfield residents and the widest possible audience, who visit and enjoy Broomfield Park.

John will coordinate and deliver a range of community activities in 2025 including an archaeological dig, a community art project to be displayed on the hoardings surrounding Broomfield House and deliver several well-being events.

The plan is to build connections with pre-existing and new stakeholders from education, leisure, and cultural partners, as well as civic and heritage groups and identify potential collaborators for delivering and supporting these and future activities.

John’s role is funded by Heritage Lottery for 15 months.

These activities will help to raise awareness of the wider project that will, subject to further Heritage Lottery funding, dismantle and memorialise Broomfield House within the landscape and improve the immediate area around the House. This will be achieved with interpretation and outreach to different audiences to further engage with the project and the heritage. Further consultations on memorialising the House and enhancing the park will be outlined next year.

John, in his spare time, is a trustee of the Enfield Society and active in local community project including Gordon Hill and Enfield Chase stations. He was a community representative for delivering the Palace Gardens Mural . He is also active on the Enfield Chase Woodland Creation Project and co-created the New River Loop information panels with Enfield Council and The Enfield Society.

If you spot John in the park - do say hello!

Becoming a Charity

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 14:38:11 GMT

FoBP begins a journey to become a charity

We are delighted to announce that, following The Friends of Broomfield Park application to the Charity Commission, we have been given the green light to proceed.

Progress so far has been much quicker than anticipated; our charitable aims and objectives have been reviewed and accepted as suitable to become a registered charity. However, there is still a considerable journey to undertake – including registering initial trustees and agreeing our operating model with the Charity Commission - before we finally arrive as a fully functioning charity.

Since the AGM in 2023 a group of volunteers have been driving forward the application to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation - a particular type of charity that will ensure we operate in a regulated way - this status will help both with our future fundrasing and also in the development of charitable partnerships.

We plan to have a broader discussion soon, which will enable all members to learn about the changes and contribute ideas as we prepare to operate as a charity - look out for more information nearer the date.

READ MORE

Making Space for Girls in Broomfield Park

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:48:14 GMT

Report on the Spring 2024 workshops

The Make Space for Girls Broomfield Park project has published a report on the series of workshops with young women last spring. The workshops aimed to to explore and co-design ideas of what’s needed to make Broomfield Park more appealing and welcoming,

The Make Space for Girls Broomfield Park project is a collaboration between the Friends of Broomfield Park, The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe, Enfield Council, and the national charity Make Space for Girls. The project is funded by the Palmers Greenery and is working to create a welcoming space for teenage girls, non-binary teens, and boys in Broomfield Park.

The project included five after-school workshops in Broomfield Park to explore with participants how to create spaces in parks, as well as budgets, timelines, and feasibility . An important element of the approach was listening to young people aged 12 to 25 - encouraging them to think about Broomfield Park and identify what would make it more welcoming to young people

Finally the findings from the workshops will be used to design new park facilities that participants will be happy to use; the new report outlines some proposals.

Make Space for Girls is a charity that campaigns for parks to be more inclusive. They raise awareness of the issue, as well as using research and campaigning to ensure that the voices of girls and young women are heard in the planning process.

Broomfield in Bloom! Park volunteers recognised with five Enfield in Bloom Awards

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 19:18:45 GMT

Park volunteers recognised with five Enfield in Bloom Awards

Broomfield Park's volunteers have won five awards for their tremendous, green-fingered efforts in the prestigious Enfield in Bloom competition.

The Horticulture group won a Gold Award in the ‘ Exceptional Horticultural Contribution for the Local Community ’ section for their work in the Walled Garden – particularly the much-loved Long Border. The recently reopened Conservatory was awarded silver in the same category as was the Community Orchard, also a Silver Award winner.

Broomfield Park’s Wildlife Pond was a Gold Award winner in the ‘ Environmental Wildlife Garden ’ category and a Bronze Award recognised the innovative Broomfield Park Growing Space.

The ethos of the Enfield in Bloom scheme is to encourage lasting improvements to our local environment by rewarding horticultural best practice, environmental friendliness, community involvement and sustainability. We are very grateful to have Broomfield Park projects celebrated by the competition organisers and award category sponsors: GP Garden Services from Crews Hill, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Ritec International Ltd .

Regular visitors to the park will already know how our volunteers nurture and enhance the park environment, but this remarkable haul of awards is testament to the quality and depth of the horticultural and environmental work in Broomfield Park, which is of course a team effort. Alongside the volunteers, resident horticulturalist Victoria Black and the Enfield Council Parks Management Team and gardeners must also be celebrated for their work on these projects.

An award ceremony will be held at the Chickenshed Theatre on Friday 18th October to celebrate the achievements of everyone working on parks, gardens and green spaces across Enfield Borough.

Extended Opening at the Palmers Greenery Community Cafe

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 11:14:05 GMT

Palmers Greenery Community Cafe open Mondays in term time

The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe has established a new partnership with Barnet and Southgate College .

From next Monday, October 7th, The community cafe will be open on Mondays, during term time, between 11am and 3pm. The new arrangement will provide young people from the college with a work experience and volunteering placement and will also give park visitors a chance to get a warming coffee ... and warmer welcome ... on Monday! The arrangement with the college means that the Palmers Greenery will be staffed on Mondays - during term time only - by students. Do pop by and say hello!

Another great year for Palmers Green Festival

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 12:16:33 GMT

....packed with things to do for all ages and interests

Another great year for the Palmers Green Festival!

Last year (2023) a new team took the reins, building on the great work of Phillip Chard in establishing the festival.

Starting again from no experience of such big events was a big challenge. but last year was a great success.

2024 saw the re-opening of the lawn behind Broomfield House and 'Broomfield Bowl' as part of the festival site. Visitors were treated to a fun dog show salsa and other dance lessons, live music, an art exhibition, fun fair and 85 different stalls, including Vintage, artisanal, family oriented, food, drinks, crafts, and community groups. An art exhibition, dog show and a fairground added to the wealth of things to do and see for the 7,000+ people visiting - and we had a perfect day for it too!

Quotes from some visitors:

Gail: “It was a brilliant atmosphere”

Aarany: “Wonderful, really friendly and a real sense of community.”

Christine: “It was an excellent day with something for everyone”

Simon: “Great well done friends of Broomfield Park”

Ruth: “Such a huge endorsement of the success of the Friends of Broomfield Committee”

Hayley: “Great festival and super important for community engagement and family fun”

Come and play chess in the park

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 12:30:18 GMT

New Community Chess Table installed in Broomfield Park

A new Community Chess Table and seating has been installed in Broomfield Park and is now available for public use. The Palmers Greenery Community Café, in Partnership with The Friends of Broomfield Park, successfully applied to London Borough of Enfield for a grant to install the table.

Broomfield Park is an ideal location for this new facility; the park is a social hub with an abundance of volunteer-run events and activities. Already a welcoming space for family activities, providing an inclusive environment for both formal and informal social connections; the installation of a Community Chess Table adds an intergenerational activity to the park. At the moment visitors are invited to bring their own playing pieces, but shortly, a set of chess pieces and draughts will be available to borrow from The Palmers Greenery.

The Community Chess Table has been installed adjacent to the Palmers Greenery Community Café. Positioning the table near the café, which serves as a social and loneliness hub, will help enhance social cohesion and mental wellbeing, making Broomfield Park a more integrated and supportive community space.

At the Palmers Green Community Festival on Sunday September 1st a representative from Chess in the Community will be on hand to encourage players to use the table and support youngsters to try out chess in the park. This is part of the commitment by The Friends of Broomfield Park along with The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe, to promote the use of the chess table, build links with local clubs and foster community spirit through partnerships and inclusive projects with local chess enthusiasts and learners. Sign up for our newsletter to keep in touch with future developments.

Sarah Cotton who co-ordinates the Palmers Greenery Community Cafe said:

“We welcome chess players to come along with a friend - or come on your own where you can have a cuppa and a chat with one of our volunteers and find a chess partner. The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe has a proud track record of supporting social cohesion and mental health and wellbeing in Broomfield Park the new Community Chess table will extend our warm welcome to new community members”

Finula Cilliers, Co-Chair of The Friends of Broomfield Park network, said:

“Broomfield Park is a beautiful green space, its many attractions and activities - significantly enhanced by our committed voluntary groups - ensure that it is a welcoming and inclusive space for wellbeing, sporting and family activities. It’s terrific to add a new amenity for local people to enjoy.”

Funding for the supply and installation of the Community Chess Table comes from the Former Government's Levelling Up Parks Fund distributed through the London Borough of Enfield.

Art Is ... Exhibition

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 11:34:07 GMT

Exhibition from community art sessions at Broomfield Park Clubhouse

Co-Chair of the Friends of Broomfield Park, David March (pictured centre) coordinates two community art sessions each week at the Broomfield Park clubhouse. One is with the Community Mental Health Group , and the other is with Bourne Hill Care and Queen Anne Home .

Now the collected work of the art group participants in on public display at an exhibition until the end of August

In addition to showcasing the creativity of the art group, the exhibition is also a celebration of the caring and supportive community which gives participants the opportunity to express themselves.

The Exhibition is open until the end of August at in The Southgate Club and Art Gallery , 17 Chase Side, Southgate, N14 5BP; the opening times are:

Monday -Thursday 5pm - 11pm
Friday 3pm - 11.30pm
Saturday 12noon - 11.30pm
Sunday 12noon - 8pm

Conservatory Art Exhibition "The Diary of Weeds and Friends"

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:19:37 GMT

Aki Moriuchi: Sketchbooks detailing the plants of Broomfield Park

Aki Moriuchi has been a volunteer for the horticultural group of Broomfield Park for over four years. She is an acclaimed potter and a ceramicist and a Fellow of The Craft Potters Association of Britain. Aki has lived and worked in London and St. Ives, Cornwall. In 2008 she returned to London and settled in Palmers Green where she changed her artistic media from clay to paint, canvas and paper.

Enfield Council recruiting staff for Unlocking Broomfield Park Project

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 12:32:53 GMT

Community Engagement Officer job open for application.

Enfield Council's project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, ‘ Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community ’, is now recruiting for staff to lead on the Community Engagement elements of the programme and to develop a project to memorialise Broomfield House, conserve and enhance the historic Broomfield Park and deliver interpretation and outreach to support local audiences.

It was announced at the beginning of the year that a total of around £500,000 has been made available, from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to reinvigorate Broomfield Park, exploring its rich history and providing opportunities to engage with the park and its heritage. The project has been developed by Enfield Council in collaboration with the Friends of Broomfield Park, Broomfield House Trust, the Enfield Society, Southgate District Civic Voice, and councillors who helped steer and shape the application.

Details of the advertised role are available on the L B Enfield website

Image: By Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0

Broomfield Park Conservatory Reopened

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 08:18:44 GMT

Come and visit: Wednesday and Sunday afternoons

We are pleased to announce that the Conservatory is now open to the public again on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons.

The volunteers have had to replace many of the plants that were lost during the closure. Displays have been updated such as the Carnivorous, Cacti and Orchid collections. The general appearance is more open now which allows for a better view of the water feature and the fish.

The Broomfield Park conservatory is open to visitors from 2.30-4.30 pm every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon

New Survey Results Will Help Shape the Future of Broomfield Park

Mon, 13 May 2024 22:04:26 GMT

Data will support future plans for the park

As part of the ongoing efforts to improve and develop Broomfield Park, the Friends of the Park conducted a comprehensive survey to gather insights from park visitors and local community members.

We asked people to say what they liked about the park and suggestions for what could be improved. The findings from this survey provide valuable insights into the priorities and activities of visitors which will shape the future of the volunteer Friends of Broomfield Park.

Key Findings: Almost all those answering the survey think that the park benefits their physical and mental health and for many it helps them to connect better to the wider community and the natural world. (see below).

Most respondents were local, regular visitors and know the park well with many having attended organised events in the park.

People appreciate the efforts of volunteers - both from the Friends of Broomfield Park and the Palmers Greenery Community Café - and value the sense of community involvement and ownership that volunteering brings to the park.

Most respondents reported feeling safe in the park, with a few suggestions for improvement such as path surfaces and lighting.

While satisfaction with the park environment and amenities was generally high, valuable insights suggested improvement to the public toilets footpaths and the children's playground.

Commenting on the results Co-Chair of the Friends Group Finula Cilliers said “Our survey was conducted to help determine the future priorities and activities of the Friends of Broomfield Park. It was important for us to invite park visitors and local community members to voice their opinions on what they like about the park... and what might be improved. So, we were delighted to find out how highly the park is valued as a place to engage with the natural world – but also a space to connect with neighbours and be part of a local community. It is heartwarming that the considerable volunteer effort over recent years has been recognised and appreciated.

“We also welcome the suggestions for future improvements in the park – which will support our plans for the next few years. some will require partnerships with the London Borough of Enfield Parks department, external funders and other partners. We are committed to further engagement with park users to help build longer term relationships with them and their families and encouraging future volunteers.”

The full survey report and analysis is is available for download . Thank you to everyone who completed a questionnaire - your ideas will help us to care for and enhance Broomfield Park.

Boating Pond Update

Thu, 09 May 2024 07:26:22 GMT

Refurbishment work nearing completion.

The long-running refurbishment of the Boating Pond is nearing completion. Whilst it has been filled by rainwater in recent weeks, the pond is actually fed by a submersible pump which draws water from a natural aquifer about 200ft below ground; an electrically powered pump is used to draw water up from a natural body of water under the park and into the boating pond. Regular filling and emptying of the Boating Pond water ensures the water does not stagnate and become polluted.

A small amount of work is needed to finalise the pump control unit after which the pond will be drained into the lower lakes. Once empty, the base will then be swept, debris removed and any remedial works needed to repair the pond wall and base. After this the pond will be refilled and any ancillary works – fencing, landscaping etc will be undertaken and the job completed.

Whilst we expect all works should be finished by the end of May, we have learned not to depend too much on deadlines as earlier ones have been missed - but we live in hope!

Conservatory works near completion

Thu, 09 May 2024 07:00:21 GMT

The refurbished conservatory will be reopening soon ...

Although Broomfield Park Conservatory remains closed to the public, there is good news - the end of the refurbishment is in sight. Scaffolding has been removed and the works are nearing completion with the contractors completing the final touches.. The project has taken longer than anticipated, because the Council agreed to fund the painting of the interior, as well as the exterior.

The handover is only a couple of weeks away - visitors will be welcomed back to the Conservatory shortly. However, many of the plants will need to be replaced after the works - but volunteers see this as an opportunity to review the displays and improve the presentation of the collections. and a very successful Plant sale on Sunday April 14, has raised funds towards restocking the conservatory once the work is finished.

Award for Broomfield Park Volunteer, Elizabeth Dobbie

Fri, 03 May 2024 16:20:15 GMT

Lifetime Award presented by London Borough of Enfield

Congratulations to Friends of Broomfield Park volunteer. Elizabeth Dobbie, who has received a lifetime achievement award from Enfield Council.

The Award, presented by Enfield’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Cohesion, Cllr Gina Needs, recognises Elizabeth's work along with 24 other volunteers from across the borough.

Elizabeth Dobbie joined the Friends of Broomfield Park in 2007 as a volunteer soon after the group was set up. She has been activity involved in growing the organisation since then both directly involved with the park's horticulture and also as a committee member.

Elizabeth was instrumental in transforming the Broomfield Park Conservatory from an empty shell to a fully functional, sub-tropical greenhouse, open to the public year round. It is now a shining jewel in the heart of Bromfield Park because of the leadership Elizabeth has provided to the conservatory group for 15 years.

Five years ago the historic flower beds and shrubs were in a sorry state. Elizabeth has formed a large team of volunteers and worked closely with Enfield officers and staff to transform the park into the amazing asset it is today - much appreciated by visitors and residents. Collectively the volunteer teams that Elizabeth has established in the conservatory and horticulture group contribute over 1500 hours to keeping Broomfield Park a major asset to communities across the borough.

This is a well deserved recognition of a lifetime achievement award from the council. The Friends of Broomfield Park congratulate Elizabeth Dobbie and express our gratitude for her enormous contribution over many years.

Read more on the L B Enfield website

A busy spring weekend in Broomfield Park!

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:24:18 GMT

Plant Sales, Orchard Open Day and a Fun Fair

Coggers Fun Fair are back this weekend with their annual visit to the park until Bank Holiday Monday - May 6th.

There are two plant sales on Sunday afternoon between 2:30 and 4:00pm - Chilli plants will be on sale outside the soon-to-be reopened Conservatory, raising money for the conservatory volunteers - and The Horticulture group are holding an affordable plant sale next to the long border.

Also this week is 'Good to Grow Week', a project of Sustain when many community gardens across the UK will be open to visit, including The Broomfield Park Community Orchard where there is an Open Day on Sunday 28th April between 1 and 5pm. It's free!

We are looking forward to a whole summer of community events in the park - check out the website for a full list of what's coming up.

New London Walking Route features Broomfield Park

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:33:15 GMT

North to South London Route passes through Broomfield Park

Broomfield Park features as one step in a new North to South London Walking Trail. Launching on the May Bank Holiday weekend, the route has been established by Walking Post – a website offering useful and accessible ideas for walking routes out of London, particularly using public transport.

The trail is 34-miles long overall and divided into five easy-to-follow parts. The first section runs from Cockfosters in the north and takes in Broomfield Park on the way to Highgate, from where it continues through central London all the way to Carshalton Park in South London - amazingly 75% is on paths and car-free routes and includes accessible links with tube or rail stations along the way as well as suggested refreshment pit-stops – including our own Palmer Greenery Community Café.

Latest on the Boating Pond

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 15:41:48 GMT

Heavy plumbing used to restore water flow....

This week marks a landmark for the restoration of our boating pond. You will have noticed that the concrete slab repairs to the pond have been a success as can be seen by the high level of water being maintained over a number of months.

The next stage is to install the connector pipework to the existing cast iron pipework. The image above shows something similar for what our connection will look like.

Soon, the Contractors will also empty the pond to carry out final survey and any patch repairs required before the new pump is installed via mobile crane next week (05/02/24).

After the new pump is installed, there will be a process for testing and commissioning with the pond finally being refilled using water from the aquifer by the end of February / early March 2024.

More than half a million pounds awarded to transform Broomfield Park project

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 17:38:47 GMT

Stage 1 of a development project to memorialise Broomfield House and improve the park.

Enfield Council has received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their project ‘Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community’, it was announced today.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to reinvigorate Broomfield Park, exploring its rich heritage and providing activities for the community and stakeholders to engage with the vision for the park.

Development funding of £532,490 has been awarded by the Heritage Fund to help Enfield Council progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £3,672,231 at a later date. The project will include developing a plan for dismantling the derelict, burnt-out shell of Broomfield House and reconnecting the House and Park through memorialization, interpretation, and landscaping which will include restoration of the unique Baroque water garden.

The project has been developed by Enfield Council in collaboration with the Friends of Broomfield Park, Broomfield House Trust, the Enfield Society, Southgate District Civic Voice, and councillors who helped steer and shape the application.

Friends of Broomfield Park Habitats Group review of 2023 is now available

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 12:39:14 GMT

Habitats Group Review 2023

The Friends of Broomfield Park Habitats Group has published its review of 2023, summarising work done during the year and wildlife species observed.

Annual maintenance of the wildflower meadow and wetlands took up the majority of time and effort in 2023, several trees and wildflower plugs were planted and a log-pile and nettle patch created to enhance habitats. Overall 43 different kinds of wildflowers were identified, as well as 18 species of butterflies. Several rare birds were also observed in the park throughout the year.

Please get in touch if you would like to find out more or get involved. You can download the full report and find out more about the work of the Habitats Group .

Conservatory end of year update

Sun, 24 Dec 2023 09:25:17 GMT

First a big thanks to everyone who supported us in 2023.

First a big thanks to everyone who supported us in 2023. We enjoyed sharing our mini-Kew with a large numbers of visitors.

We held a number of very successful Plant Sales this year. Some of the money raised was used to repair and repaint the railings in front of the conservatory. When the conservatory first reopened to the public, there was a chain link fence in place. The volunteers managed to track down the railings which had been removed from the toilets on the Triangle in Palmers Green. These were refurbished with the help of a local blacksmith and installed in a low brick wall. The original gates were adapted to provide access. This work was made possible by a grant from the Enfield Society. Over the years the railings had lost their shine, but they have now been restored to their former glory. Thanks to everyone who bought a plant or made a donation in 2023.

We are sorry that the Conservatory is closed to the public at present, but essential works are being carried out, which have required a large amount of scaffolding. The lantern, top section of the roof, was found to be in urgent need of repair and the whole of the exterior requires repainting. Work is underway and we hope that it will be completed before next Spring. The volunteers still have access, so the plants can be looked after. Grow lights have been installed and the plants seem to be coping very well.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Palmers Green Art Trail

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 12:32:46 GMT

The Palmers Green Art Trail: Artworks from Broomfield Park to Green Lanes

Have a look at the starting murals of Palmers Green Art Trail.

Two are in Broomfield Park on the walls of the former football changing rooms above the Childrens Playground. The third mural is on the flank wall of Greens Café at 345 Green Lanes.

These murals are part of ‘Curate Enfield’, a grassroots public art programme funded by the Arts Council, to create public artworks in each of the five town centres in the borough, including Palmers Green.

The Matchbox Collective of artists were commissioned for this project by the ‘Curate Palmers Green’ public art champions. The role of the champions is to select the sites that they would like to see transformed by public art, to consult the local community for ideas and feedback, to devise and develop artist briefs and to curate the commissions.

The Matchbox Collective held a series of workshops with the local community to discuss ideas and came up with imagery to act as an inspiration for the artists and be developed into the art trail in the area. The theme for the workshops was biodiversity, nature, cultural diversity, and identity.

Matchbox held workshops with Year 10 pupils at Laurel Park School; The Ruth Winston Centre; and the local Mental Health Trust’s Wellbeing Group who volunteer in the park on Friday mornings to garden and create art.

The FoBP suggested that the former football changing rooms should be part of the art trail as many people pass by this neglected and graffitied building and that murals would enhance it’s appearance. We were pleased that this was supported by Curate Palmers Green and Enfield Council (as the owner of the building).

for more info use these links:

Download art trail map
Palmers Green Community newsletter - details about the full art trail
The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe - mural painting in action
Matchbox Collective Palmers Green project
Palmers Green Action Team - street Art
Arbeit Studios
Enfield Council Palmers Green Art Trail page

Conservatory works continue

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 11:20:51 GMT

It is taking time, but the result will be great....

Work continues to renovate the conservatory. Impressive external.scaffolding now in place so that the roof panels can be repaired and the structure is protected from bad weather. .Most recently contractors have rigged up some daylight lighting. The bromeliads are putting on a good show.

Another great year for school visits to Broomfield Park

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 19:36:15 GMT

Planting seeds for the future

Report from Helen Blairman:

The education programme has gone from strength to strength this year.

We welcomed another primary school to the schedule and ran extremely successful outdoor education workshops for children in Yrs 1 & 2 from local schools. This was only possible because of the huge contribution made by the volunteers. We also collaborated with Hazelwood School and Morrisons PLC to run a seed planting workshop for the children at Hazelwood. Morrisons donated compost and seeds and I visited the school and along with the school staff, I helped the children make seed pots out of recycled newspaper which they then planted with seeds. Six weeks later the children visited the park and planted their seeds in the growing space. We were so lucky to have a beautiful display of sunflowers. This was an extremely successful collaboration between three key members of the local community and more similar initiatives are planned for the future.

Community Mental Health group

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 23:32:27 GMT

Helping mental health through creativity

The Community Mental Health Group meet in the clubhouse on a weekly basis throughout the year and have become involved in various projects around the park, including gardening activities and their inspiring art sessions. The group participated in the community workshop, along with many other people for the new Palmers Green Public Art Trail and the mosaic workshops funded by the Palmers Greenery Community Café, and we were very pleased that the former football changing room building near the playground was chosen for three murals on the art trail.

Community Orchard

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 23:29:27 GMT

14 years and counting....

It is now 14 years since the first trees were planted in the Community Orchard and it has become a beautiful haven, with its apple blossom and wildflowers attracting butterflies and bees. This was recognised by another gold award from Enfield in Bloom. The Apiary continues to flourish and provided a good supply of honey which we sold at our popular Summer Picnic and Apple Day events. Gold awards were also made for both the Community Growing Space and the Wildlife Pond.

Remembrance Service 2023

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 23:23:44 GMT

Local schools and communities come together in memory

It was a wet Friday morning when we were preparing the Remembrance Garden for the visitors coming to this annual service. As soon as we put out the chairs we found that we had to refold them as puddles were forming on the seats but nevertheless we had a good turnout of visitors and with the aid of paper towels and umbrellas we were able to carry on.

The service was led by Rev’d Chrichton Limbert, vicar of Christ Church, Southgate. It started with children from Laurel Park secondary school and Bowes and Walker primary schools reciting poems followed by Chris Kaufman from FoBP and Jackie Pinney from the British Legion. At 11.00am a bugler played ‘The Last Post’ indicating the start of the two minutes silence and afterwards there was the laying of wreaths at the cairn in front of the war memorial.

Speeches were given by Cllr Mohammad Islam, Deputy mayor of Enfield Council, and Bambos Charalambous, MP for Enfield Southgate. Finally children from Hazelwood School sang four songs popular at the time of the first and second world wars ending with Vera Lynn’s “ We’ll meet again”.
By this time the sun had started to appear and everything, including the fountain, looked brighter in the Garden. Many of the visitors walked to the Palmers Greenery Community cafe in the park for a very welcome hot cup of coffee or tea and cake.

Improving the health of the lakes , ponds and wetlands

elenaphrydas@live.co.uk — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 19:13:30 GMT

New investment secured by lakes team

An exciting new project to restore the health of the lakes, wildlife pond and wetlands in Broomfield Park in Palmers Green has won the backing of the Environment Agency.

An agreement was signed to commission an ecologist to produce an environmental audit and an enhancement strategy to increase biodiversity and water quality. MK Associates will be undertaking this work and reporting back towards the end of the year.

Next Spring the follow up aim will be for teams of volunteers to start to test water quality in all the watercourses and for new planting to help improve water quality and provide natural food for birds and other wildlife.

Boating Pond update ......

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:23:33 GMT

Despite the seeming lack of progress, behind the scenes work is progressing to complete the project.

Little seemed to been going on in the park since the boating pond was temporarily filled ready for Palmers Green Festival on 3rd September, so FoBP recently met with Council officers and our local Councillors for an update on the project.

We were pleasantly surprised to hear that work had been continuing off site by specialist manufacturers to prepare the heavy duty pipe, wellhead and pump for the borehole.

Surveys of the pipework to the boating pond have been completed to establish its condition. The results are encouraging except for a valve that needs to be replaced.

The contractor will be returning to the park in mid November to build the structure for the wellhead, install the electrics for the pump and clear the outlets that run through to the lower lake and wetland. The boating pond will then be drained so that the remaining repairs can be carried out.

When these works have been completed, the rising main pipework, borehole pump and new wellhead will be installed and the system commissioned.

The work is currently planned for completion before Christmas, but we are aware that unforeseen issues may arise and this timescale might slip

Broomfield in Bloom

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 10:12:33 GMT

Despite challenging weather conditions, Broomfield Park volunteers keep the gardens looking wonderful.

Despite a hard winter and a dry June which affected many plants, we have had yet another glorious year in the displays within Broomfield’s historic gardens winning a Solver award from Enfield in Bloom. This is possible because of the dedicated work of a team of 20 volunteers working with gardener Victoria Black. The team continues to recruit new volunteers and regularly there are 12-14 people working each Wednesday morning come rain or shine.

Regular postings on the FoBP Facebook page have highlighted the plants to look out for in the gardens as well as advertising plant sales and other activities.

The Gazebo behind Broomfield House has been refurbished and now has pride of place once more in the shrub bed that borders it. This. Feature is one of the most important assets of the early 17th-18th century "Baroque" Garden.

Whilst donations have fallen in 2023, occasional plant sales have helped to meet the major challenge of keeping the herbaceous well stocked.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Mini Kew in Broomfield Park

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 10:06:00 GMT

Broomfield conservatory goes from strength to strength

The Conservatory has had another successful year, thanks to the volunteers who visit daily to water the plants and check on maintenance issues.

The conservatory team has continued to welcome visitors on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons.

This was the first year since the pandemic that we have reintroduced a full programme of events. We started in Spring with a variety of well supported plant sales. We were also pleased to welcome back local musician Marc Harris who performed in May and September. We introduced a new musician, Nickie Hart. Nickie, who is very local to the park, sings and plays keyboard. One of the volunteers put on a drawing workshop, which was well received. A new venture was the cookery workshop provided by Samina. Samina used ingredients provided by plants grown in the Conservatory to produce a simple delicious salsa. There was a very successful plant sale held in conjunction with the Palmers Green Festival, when over 1,000 visitors came to the Conservatory. Elizabeth, one of the volunteers opened her garden at Arnos Park Lodge to raise funds.

Talks were given by the volunteers to local Gardening Groups.

The exterior of the Conservatory is being refurbished. Thanks to Enfield Council for funding this work. The railings, in front of the Conservatory, had paint chipping and rust appearing. The Conservatory Group decided to use some of the funds raised by the plant sales to employ a professional decorator to strip back the railings and repaint. The railings look very smart now.

The Banana plant was a success again this year. One of the volunteers used some of the crop to bake banana cakes for sale in the Greenery café. Our new Papaya plant has, also, borne fruit. We have increased our collection of ginger plants, and these have flowered. Our collection of exotic plants continues to delight visitors. We were pleased to be awarded Gold by Enfield in Bloom again.

Access to the Conservatory is, currently, restricted due to internal scaffolding. The Conservatory will be closed to the public until further notice. The work is estimated to take 3 months.

Social Impact of The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 09:52:49 GMT

Volunteers making a big difference in the park

The Palmers Greenery is a volunteer-powered community cafe that reinvests profits into park-enhancing and wellbeing projects.

Since September 2022 we have:

Welcomed 7 new volunteers to our team
Grown our partnership with LBE EQUALS Team to provide employability and skills training for adults with additional needs
Promoted greater environmental sustainability by incentivising cup reuse and adding 25p to the cost of disposable take away cups
Funded two community wellbeing projects
Published a Social Impact Report evaluating our contribution to local people, Broomfield Park and Palmers Green more widely

See image below for headline numbers

READ THE FULL REPORt HERE

In 2023/4 The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe be planning for its 10 year Anniversary with focus on working collaboratively with FoBP and LBE to deliver more park enhancing projects, with a specific focus on inclusive space for young people

You can follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram @thepalmersgreenery

For any further info please email Sarah: thepalmersgreenery@gmail.com

Palmers Green Festival returns to Broomfield Park

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:10:22 GMT

After a four year break, your favourite day returns to Broomfield Park

Palmers Green Festival returned to Broomfield Park on Sunday 3rd September. After a four year break, 6,000 people enjoyed wonderful weather and took advantage of the Biddall's funfair, Starfish art exhibition, Cooking Champions food village, Vintage Village, a Family zone, donkey rides and much more.

The festival is a free to enter charitable event, developed and run entirely by experienced local organisations, including Friends of Broomfield Park, Cooking Champions, PG Vintage Flea, Starfish Loves Coffee and Biddall's Fun Fair.

What people said:

A brilliant community day - well. done to the organisers and stallholders.
I have never seen the park so full and the atmosphere was really lovely wherever you went even in a longish queue ��
Really good initiative - I hope each year it gets bigger and better! Good Luck
A brilliant day for our community, fabulous fun for all the family and so nice to meet local businesses.
A great come back!

Check out more details of stalls here

Lakes team update

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 08:42:40 GMT

2023 has been another great year for the Lakes Team

FoBP Lakes Action Team has:

Worked with GoCardless staff to introduce a swan platform, to plant up floating bio havens, add barley bales and planting around the Sanctuary area
Won a grant from the Environment Agency for an environmental audit to improve the watercourses & wildlife
Fed into Enfield's Broomfield Lottery bid on the lakes and biodiversity
Fed the waterbirds daily though all seasons
Protected the swans' nest during nesting time
Increased baby birds safety by scaring gulls and encouraging responsible dog walking
Community engagement, sharing knowledge and stories
Worked with the council to erect protective fencing and dog control notices
Rescued injured birds
Continued to clean rubbish from the lakes

Broomfield House update October 2023

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:41:42 GMT

Emerging plans to memorialise Broomfield House

‘Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community’ is a proposal from Enfield Council to the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Enfield Heritage Forum had a presentation on Broomfield House on 12 ^th September.

Here are some headlines. The full slide show can be viewed here .

Project Vision

· Becomes a flagship park for North London, known for its historic landscape and heritage assets, natural environment, and community provision.

· Provides opportunities for Enfield borough communities to thrive and learn about its history and to volunteer and participate in its upkeep and activation.

· Inspires residents and visitors to live ecologically and sustainably, with community growing spaces and orchards, flourishing wildlife, and beautiful gardens.

Project Timeline

Round One application submitted – 17th August 2023

· Decision expected from National Lottery Heritage Fund November 2023

· Start the Development Phase February 2024 – this will last two years

· Deadline for Round Two application – November 2025

· Decision made by National Lottery Heritage Fund – March 2026

· Start the Delivery Phase – May 2026

· Works complete – July 2028

Project Plan

Development phase

· Procurement and team assembly

· Surveys

· Co-curation of memorialisation of house

· Community pilot activities

· Securing planning and statutory consent for proposals

· Fundraising and business planning

Delivery phase

· Dismantle Broomfield House

· Memorialise Broomfield House and reintegration into Park

· Works to the Upper and Middle Lakes

· Restoring and enhancing historic Baroque landscape

· Relocate salvaged material from Broomfield house

· Install interpretation and improve wayfinding

· Cultural and heritage events

· Evaluation

Lessons for the future - education in Broomfield Park 2023

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:23:23 GMT

Children and adults find Broomfield is a wonderful place to learn.

Broomfield volunteers have established the park as an important educational resource.

Our work with local schools provides children exciting opportunities to find out about pond life, bees and pollination, how the wetlands work and what the orchard provides for nature - as well as tasty apples for the table! This year we have a great new group of volunteers who plan on making school visits more accessible to other local schools in future years.

On Friday mornings volunteers work in the park with a small group of adults who have recently left or are in the process of leaving a mental health hospital environment and are looking for meaningful activity in the community. They are supported by staff from the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust based at the Chase Farm Hospital Community Hub.

We worked on Tuesdays with a group of young people, with special educational needs, from the West Lea outreach at Broomfield School in planting, growing and harvesting a crop of food plants and were rewarded by a delightful lunch that they prepared under the tutelage of a local chef. This has been funded by the Palmers Greenery Community Café.

On Wednesdays our volunteers work with the REACH group, a project to help excluded yr 10's, on buidling and landscaping activities within the park.

Broomfield Summer Festival 2023 - a roaring success!

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 06:25:06 GMT

Thousands of visitors enjoyed a summer long programme of events.

The Broomfield Summer Festival has made a redundant bowling green into a vibrant performance space.

The ‘Broomfield Bowl ,’ the bandstand and other areas of the park have been used for a wide variety of events including music, theatre, food, and family fun . Events organised by FoBP provide significant funds to support a range of park improvement projects.

Working with a wide rage of partners, this year we have welcomed over 13,000 visitors to events across the year.

Most events are organised by FoBP volunteers, aided by a group of 16–25-year-old ‘festival makers’, resulting in a great balance of enthusiasm and experience . A diverse audience across the festival events brought many new people to enjoy the park . The biggest of these was the reintroduction of palmers Green festival which attracted over 6,000 people and was a roaring success.Fairgrounds and the circus are held in collaboration with Enfield Council.

Our partnership with Enfield Council has continued the long tradition of fun fairs and a circus providing lots of entertainment for families throughout the year.

Latest on the Boating Pond

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 19:49:20 GMT

Work begins on repairing the base of the boating pond

Work is progressing to replace the borehole pump and to repair the pond base and pipework to provide a supply of fresh water to the boating pond.
The crane laying mat and the access way for the crane is now complete.
Joint sealing of the concrete slabs in the pond is underway. Some slab replacement of the pond base will be necessary.
A crane is lifting the borehole pump and rising main out of the borehole.
A Geotechnical survey will be carried out shortly and then develop the pump and rising main specification.

Restoration of the Boating Pond - update

dfmarch66@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 07:02:04 GMT

The work begins!

Here is an update from volunteer Andrew Polycarpou about progress on the works to the restore Broomfield’s Boating Pond.

The images show an excavator forming the area where the crane mat will be. The crane mat allows for a 40 tonne crane to stand and remove the existing pump. Also, the image shows an access road taking form that allows the crane to traverse from Alderman’s Hill to the crane mat location.

Highlights so far:

Create access road and mat for crane
Tree surgery complete to Aldermans Hill
New Secure Metal Gate installed to Aldermans Claire Hill
Excavation for access road and crane mat complete
Sub-structure test successfully performed

Next steps:

Create access road and mat for crane
Repair drainage & manhole
Start concrete repairs to boating pond

Restoration of the Model Boating Pond in Broomfield Park

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:05:20 GMT

Funding is in place and preparatory works have started.

Great News! Observant members of our park community may have noticed blue and red markings on the ground in Broomfield Park in recent weeks. Thanks to an initiative between the Friends of Broomfield Park and Enfield Council, supported by Cllr. Doug Taylor and Cllr. Chris James, and funding from the council, preparatory works are taking place for the long overdue restoration of the model boating pond.

The model boating pond has been a much-loved feature of Broomfield Park since it was built in 1903. From the Coronation Gates on Aldermans Hill, it creates a welcoming entrance leading down to the Baroque Lakes, Walled Gardens, and the ruins of Broomfield House. The pond draws people in to walk around and sit by or participate in boating activities.

The park is recognised to have a rare asset of value in the natural aquifer, borehole, pump, and boating pond. The boating pond can be seen as one of the fundamental characteristics of the park’s heritage and assumes additional significance in relation to Enfield Council’s current initiative, supported by Historic England, to ‘kick-start the rejuvenation of Broomfield Park by dismantling the derelict shell of Broomfield House, and reconnecting the park and House through memorialisation, interpretation and landscaping’.

The model boating pond is in a poor state and represents a blight on an otherwise improving and very popular centre of the park. When filled with rainwater and surface water runoff, rather than fresh water from the natural aquifer, the pond draws in large amounts of debris, sediment and pollutants and quickly becomes overgrown with algae which presents a toxic threat. The pond has had no fresh water in it for many years following the failure of the existing 30-year-old borehole pump.

With the surrounding parkland, the circle of mature weeping willows, the Palmers Greenery Community Café and the newly restored netball and tennis courts, the pond has the potential to be a major centre of attraction and amenity for a local park community and for those who can easily access it from across the borough. Until recent times it has had an active and popular model boating club for many years.

The Friends of Broomfield Park have been working over several years with Enfield Council on a project is to restore the pond and its surrounds. This will involve re-establishing its essential fresh water supply from the existing borehole and ensuring free drainage with outflow controls to the lakes below along with restoring and waterproofing the concrete base and walls. We hope to be able to provide a new surrounding pathway, benches and other amenities.

Kim Lumley; David March CoChairs FoBP

The Big Help Out - Monday May 8th

kimlumley56@outlook.com — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 08:32:45 GMT

Family Volunteer Day for King Charles Coronation.

Join us in work to support wildflowers and butterfly conservation in Broomfield Park.

Meet 11.00am to 3.00pm at the gazebo in the walled garden (near the Conservatory)

The activities will include:

twig and stick collection from the hedgerows around the park combined with a litter pick
creation of a log pile for insects and wildlife (butterflies, frogs, hedgehogs among others)
planting of wildflower plugs on the Wetland borders (particular plant species to support the establishment of breeding areas for particular butterflies)
establish a site to seed a nettle bed (in a protected area)

ref: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/create-a-log-pile-for-wildlife/

All welcome, there will be activities suitable for children - wear clothes for gardening and bring your favourite gardening hand tools. We will have spare gloves and tools for those needing them. If staying for the day bring a picnic and drinks.

SWAN LAKE 2022

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 22:35:04 GMT

Life and times on Broomfield Lakes....

In February 2022 two young adult swans arrived in Broomfield Park. Raymond, who worked in the park, dubbed them Julia and Caesar. Over the last year we have had the pleasure of witnessing Julia and Caesar raise 3 cygnets from their first hatching on 31 May. As we came to know their characters we named them Dozy, Beaky and Titch (after a 60s pop group). Their parents raised them with great care and dedication.

At the same time moorhens, coots, malklard and tufted ducks and canada geese all tried to raise their young ones.

The birds faced several challenges, particularly during nesting season when their chicks are so vulnerable.

FoBP Lakes Team volunteers worked to support them, trying to protect their young from the dangers of gulls and dogs.

We are very grateful to park visitors for their interest, care in feeding healthy food (not bread!), avoiding litter and keeping dogs on a lead near the lakes. People were also very helpful in stepping in to advise visitors who were not following simple guidelines to keep our birds safe.

Together with dedicated FoBP volunteers and such a passionate community, we have built a sanctuary area, provided protective barriers and housing, carried out regular litter picking to clean the lakes, and placed informative signs about healthy and nutritious food for the birds and reducing the risk of avian flu. We have plans to do a lot more.

Early this year the swan family not only had to contend with iced up lakes but also had to defend themselves from an attacking intruder swan. Cyrius (aka Jaws), the Grovelands cob, lost his mate to avian flu. He decided to try to carry Julia off by attacking Caesar. There was a long saga of attack, counter attack and injury on both sides. Julia showed her preference and dedication to her mate, calling for him when they were separated and helping him cope with the ice when he was injured. Cyrius had to fly off defeated without her. We are pleased to report that he now seems to have found a new lady love, hopefully leaving our own family in peace to build a nest and prepare for the next batch of eggs and hatchlings.

We had the joy and privilege of watching the three cygnets from last summer grow into strong, healthy 8 months old cygnets, and stay in the park, free from the risk of avian flu which killed so many swans over the winter. On February 3rd Julia and Caesar decided it was time for them to fledge the nest and drove them out of the water very fiercely. With the help of Swan Sanctuary volunteers they were relocated to the safest nearest flock. The cygnets are doing well and we visit them regularly to say hello and feed them.

The coots, moorhens and mallards sadly lost many chicks to predation from gulls. We bought a floating duck house which we hope will protect duck families this year. We hope to add more protective housing and platforms to help keep them safe.

The bird flu pandemic threatened all of our birds this year with a highly infectious strain decimating large flocks all over the country, particularly of swans and geese where they were gathered in flocks. We only had one suspected case in Broomfield Park, which we isolated in a pen during the day. Released at night time it was predated probably by a fox. We did our best to sanitise the area with natural disinfectant and provide the public with relevant healthy and safety guidelines.

As a longer-term plan we aim to improve water quality and biodiversity by working with other organizations to introduce native plants, barley bales and work with citizen scientists to accurately monitor water quality. We are now registered with the NCFE, the accrediting body for Thames 21, after completed a Leading Action for Healthy Rivers training course which will enable us to wade into the water to

catch the litter that we haven’t been able to reach from the side of the lakes so far. If you would like to join the Lakes Action Team and help us let us know!

By Jenny Edwards, Elena Phrydas, Lakes Action Team.

Broomfield House UPDATE

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 22:51:36 GMT

Emerging plans to memorialise Broomfield House

An update on Broomfield House (February 2023)

Late last year, Enfield Council announced that would be bidding for Lottery funding for a project titled “Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community” to “kick-start the rejuvenation of Broomfield Park by . . . reconnecting the park and House through memorialisation, interpretation, and landscaping. Heritage engagement activities over 2 years will involve the community and result in a shared vision & memorialisation of their memories of Broomfield House.”

We felt that the project title is positive and reflects the significance of the site and its relationship with the park and the Stableyard. We welcomed the planned Heritage engagement activities with the community over two years, which will be critical to a successful outcome of the project. We hope that this will ensure that the proposed design creatively embraces archaeology, heritage, landscape, and community aspects of the House.

The Council has set up a Working Group for the project, which includes Ward Councillors, representatives of The Enfield Society, The FoBP and the Broomfield House Trust. The Working Group met in December and discussed the vision, aims and scope of the project and what will be needed for the first stage bid, which will have to be submitted by the end of August 2023. If the bid is successful, we hope that this will the first stage of a programme of heritage improvements to the park over the next ten years, including the Stable Yard and the lakes and wider landscape.

Members of the Working Group have met with LBE officers to discuss ways to engage with the local community and to ensure that the voices of school children and especially of young girls and teenagers are heard alongside those of older people with memories of the House and Park. The Sub-Committee has also produced a consultation list of stakeholder groups beyond the Broomfield House Trust and Friends of Broomfield Park.

The Working Group has visited the inside of the House and Stable Block, and we were interested to see that there appears to be the potential to retain some of the structure of the House and to re-use some of the building materials such as bricks in the memorialisation project. The extent of this would require an assessment by a conservation engineer.

We will provide a further updates on the FoBP website and our Facebook page.

David March 25/02/2023

Remembrance Day 2022

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 16:59:50 GMT

Local schools play an important part in Remembrance Day

The Remembrance Service on 11 November 2022

It was a cold but sunny morning when a large crowd of visitors gathered in the Garden of Remembrance to attend the Friends' annual Remembrance Service on November 11 last year. After two years of Covid restrictions it was lovely to be able to commemorate Remembrance Day with the full involvement of local schools, local residents and councillors.

The Service was led by Rev. Chrichton Limbert, vicar of Christ Church, Southgate and, after poems had been read by the school children, at 11.00am a bugler played 'The Last Post' which signalled the start of the two minutes silence.

Afterwards wreaths were laid at the cairn of stones in front of the war memorial and there were speeches from the former Mayor of Enfield, Cllr Sabri Ozaydin, and our MP, Bambos Charalambous, and finally the Hazelwood school choir sang the popular World War 2 song,'The White Cliffs of Dover'.

It was good to see young and old standing together to remember the local people listed on the war memorial who had sacrificed their lives in the two world wars.

The photo above shows some of the pupils who read out their poems from Broomfield Secondary and Bowes and Walker Primary schools and the Hazelwood School choir. Our local M, Bambos Charalambous, read out a memorial message.

Live Music in the Conservatory

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 12:32:12 GMT

Nickie Hart performing Sunday 11 December 2.00 - 3.30PM

We are pleased to announce that Nickie Hart, singer/songwriter/composer of piano based romantic, lyrical songs and piano solo pieces, will be playing in the conservator y on Sunday 11 ^th December from 2.00 - 3.30 pm

www.nickiehartmusic.com

https://linktr.ee/nickiehartmusic

We, also, need to let you know that, due to maintenance work starting on the Conservatory, we will not be opening on Wednesdays until further notice.

Due to the darker evenings, we will be open on Sundays from 2.00 pm, closing promptly at 3.45 pm.

Remembrance Service 2022

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 08:34:46 GMT

Lest we forget....

THE REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

In the Garden of Remembrance

Broomfield Park

At 10.45am

On Friday 11th November 2022

The Friends of Broomfield Park will be holding their annual Remembrance Service in the Garden of Remembrance in Broomfield Park on Friday, 11 November starting at 10.45am. The Service will be led by the vicar of Christ Church, Southgate, and will include poems read by pupils from local primary and secondary schools and songs commemorating those who lost their lives in both the first and second world wars who are listed on the war memorial. At 11.00am a bugler will play 'The Last Post' and there will be a two minutes silence followed by the laying of wreaths at the cairn and speeches from the mayor of Enfield and Bambos Chralambous MP. Everyone is welcome and there will be refreshments (tea, coffee and cakes) available to purchase at the Greenery Community Cafe in the park after the service.

Lessons for the future - education in Broomfield Park

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 09:21:08 GMT

From infants to grown ups, Broomfield is a wonderful place to learn.

Broomfield volunteers have established the park as an important educational resource.

On Wednesdays our volunteers work with the REACH group, a project to help excluded yr 10's, on buidling and landscaping activities within the park.

The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 08:31:25 GMT

Feeding community spirit

We are a volunteer-powered community cafe that reinvests our profit into park enhancing projects. Since September 2021 we have:

Welcomed 10 new volunteers to the team
Developed a partnership with LBE EQUALS team to provide work assessments for adults with additional needs
Resumed our Learning for Life partnership with West Lea School Y11 pupils
Celebrated local talent with live music events
Worked with FoBP and PGAT with a Community Litter Pick
Invested £7k to deliver:
FoBP’s partnership activities to improve the Community Growing Space
5 Free Community Mosaic Workshops
A Cooking Session for West Lea pupils
In 2023 we will continue our focus on improving waste and recycling infrastructure around the cafe and in Broomfield Park more generally

The Growing Space and other projects

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 08:26:13 GMT

A glorious harvest from our new growing space

The Growing Space has become the focus of our work with young people and other groups.

The Palmers Greenery Community Café have funded this work providing materials; equipment; storage; tools and expert guidance when working with our West Lea (Special Educational Needs) pupils from Broomfield School and with the community mosaic workshop project.

This year we together planted a variety of food crops in the raised beds and harvested a spectacular crop including beetroot, carrots, peas, tomatoes, salad, and many herbs. The West Lea pupils prepared and served a delightful lunch under the expert guidance of Clare and her staff from Cooking Champions, who cater for many of the events.

The community mosaic workshop project provided 5 free creative workshops for a group of local people to learn about and to create mosaics. The workshops were led by mosaicist Prerana Phadnis and produced a beautiful leaf mosaic reflecting seasonal change in the park, and which can be seen on the side of the Clubhouse facing the boating pond.

The REACH project (for excluded school children) worked with us to make the shed bases and are now engaged in making new raised beds and steps in the Growing Space, learning gardening, carpentry, and other building skills, as well as team working.

The raised beds are available for any of the park community to sow and grow alongside our groups. Come and join us on a Wednesday or Sunday.

Community Orchard and Apiary

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 08:22:06 GMT

Reaping the fruits of our labour....

A group of volunteers led by Graham Deal and David March look after the Orchard and open it up on Sunday afternoons for visitors to enjoy.

The Orchard has never looked better now that the trees are established in the setting of a wildflower meadow. We wake up the trees and wish them a productive year at the annual Broomfield Wassail in January. Despite the challenges with the dry weather and heatwave this year, the trees responded with a good crop of apples which were used for juicing and tasting at our successful Apple Day event in September. A special thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the day and especially to ‘That Blue Patch’ for organising the live music on the day.

The beekeeping year started with many challenges, not least problems with the varroa mite that now infests all domestic hives, and queens! – either missing or infertile. The beekeepers, Kim Lumley and Cathy Hooper battled through, and go into the winter with three strong colonies, all with excellent levels honey stores and fingers crossed.

One of our hives became a star performer and produced nearly all the lovely honey sold at Apple Day and the Palmers Greenery Community Café, raising close to £1200 which will be invested back into the apiary and Friends funds. Both the orchard and the apiary support educational activities, including school visits and project work with volunteer groups.

Broomfield House - Update October 2022

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 21:31:53 GMT

Latest news about this ongoing saga .....

Enfield Council have recently announced to the Broomfield House Trust and FoBP that it intends to bid for Lottery funding for a project titled “ Unlocking Broomfield Park for the Community ” to

“kick-start the rejuvenation of Broomfield Park by dismantling the derelict shell of Broomfield House, and reconnecting the park and House through memorialisation, interpretation, and landscaping. Heritage engagement activities over 2 years will involve the community and result in a shared vision & memorialisation of their memories of Broomfield House.”

The Trust and FoBP are extremely disappointed that this Grade II* House has in effect been lost through years of neglect. However, the project title is both positive and reflects the significance of the site and its relationship with the park and the Stableyard. We welcome the planned Heritage engagement activities with the community over two years, which will be critical to a successful outcome of the project. We hope that this will ensure that the proposed design creatively embraces archaeology, heritage, landscape, and community aspects of the House.

The bidding process for Lottery funding is complex. There are two bidding rounds, with the first application being submitted between May and August 2023. The Council will be creating a consultation list for stakeholder groups beyond the Broomfield House Trust and Friends of Broomfield Park and intend to have another meeting of the Working Group in December to discuss how to frame the project as a Heritage Fund application.

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Boating Pond update October 2022

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:25:44 GMT

Some hope at last?

Restoring the boating pond has been at the top of our action plan for the last five years.

Last winter the planned investigations and repair/replacement of pump and pipes stalled and Graham Campbell, the waterways engineer who had been running the project, moved to another job away from Enfield Council.

The FoBP project group was boosted by the addition of Andrew Polycarpou (pictured above with notepad), who volunteers with our school’s group, and offered his highly relevant professional experience. We were also supported by our new councillors, Cllr Doug Taylor and Cllr Chris James, who met with us, and Doug undertook the task of investigating and reinvigorating the project within the Council.

We are pleased to say that after a meeting with senior directors of Enfield Council a new project group has been set up led by Danny Hammond (pictured above inspection the drains) , Principal Engineer, for Enfield Council working with Andrew on scope of works and timeline. Many will know Danny as the leader of the highly successful netball and tennis court restoration.

An initial site visit took place in late September, and we are now underway, starting with full surveys and engineer’s reports.

Broomfield lakes and ponds

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:20:19 GMT

A dedicated team of volunteers has made a big impact on Broomfield's watery sanctuaries

The Pond Group have been very active and cleaned huge amounts of rubbish from the lakes and worked with Thames 21 to remove large items, such as a supermarket trolley, along with debris and wire mesh.

The group feed and monitor the health of the wildfowl daily, rescuing injured wildfowl and birds and caring for them where possible. The group have worked hard to raise awareness with the public, providing information and advice on issues such as water quality, what food is suitable for the wildfowl, dogs and the safety of wildfowl and ducklings and the importance of avoiding littering.

The highlight of the year was the presence of a new pair of swans, Julia and Caesar, who nested on the lower lake and raised the first cygnets in Broomfield Park in living memory. The group encouraged the new swans to stay and nest and worked with park staff and young volunteers to create a safe shielded and ramped refuge area and for the swans and the cygnets.

The group also installed a duck house on the top lake, which we hope will provide a safe place for ducklings away from the gulls. We have also placed barley booms in the lakes to improve water quality.

In the autumn a volunteer group, with Thames 21, worked to clear reeds and waste from the inlets and outlets of the Wetland. over the summer five members of FoBP have trained with Thames 21 to take over leadership roles in water cleaning and reed management events within the park. we are very grateful for the very generous donation of waders, protective equipment and tools, made by Thames 21 to continue these tasks.

Conservatory doors open again for everyone to enjoy!

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:13:55 GMT

A tropical jewel in the heart of Broomfield Park

The Conservatory has had another successful year, thanks to the volunteers who visit daily to tend the plants and check on any maintenance problems.

The Conservatory has continued to welcome visitors on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons throughout most of the year. Unfortunately, we were forced to close to the public from the middle of December until beginning of February due to the rise in the number of covid cases. We reopened in time to showcase our orchid collection looking its best.

We have been expanding our collection of edible plants over the last couple of years. The banana plant is a favourite, and the new papaya plant is flowering. The coffee plant has a good crop of beans. We had a good crop of gourds, mini-cucumbers, and loofahs over the summer as well as tomatoes and chilis. The kiwi plants growing over the newly installed arch outside the conservatory are flourishing. One of our aims is education and school parties who visit can see how these food plants grow.

We have held several plant sales throughout the summer. These have all been very well supported by the local community. The proceeds from these sales have gone towards keeping the Conservatory looking at its best.

This year Enfield in Bloom resumed its competition, and the Conservatory received a gold award. The conservatory or our mini-Kew as it is affectionately known featured in an article in the May edition of the Enfield Dispatch. We manage to pack a wide range of exotic plants into a small space so do visit, there is always something new to see.

Broomfield Summer Festival - a roaring success!

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:09:00 GMT

Thousands of visitors enjoyed a summer long programme of events.

The Broomfield Summer Festival has made a redundant bowling green into a vibrant performance space.

Our partnership with Enfield Council has continued the long tradition of fun fairs and a circus providing lots of entertainment for families throughout the year.

Tree Project Update October 2022

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:06:58 GMT

More trees planted in 2022 thanks to your generous donations

Phase 2 was completed with the planting of oak trees by the lakes and in the open parkland, and groups of trees to screen the netball and MUGA courts. The trees by the courts were funded by the North London Netball League to commemorate 70 years in Broomfield Park. We were very pleased to help place a memorial plaque in the ground by the central group of trees.

As the new year started, and it became clear that we might be in for an exceptionally dry year, and we moved on to the third phase of the project with regular deep root watering and weeding around the tree bases and managing our ‘tree nursery’ with oak trees grown from local acorns. The watering represented a huge task, continued by many volunteers through the Spring and Summer. Thanks again to all the volunteers involved in supporting this and to Jenny Baer and family for looking after the trees by the children’s playground throughout.

Horticulture update October 2022

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:01:09 GMT

Volunteers making a difference to flower borders in the park

Our group of keen volunteer gardeners continued work on the refurbishment of the ornamental borders within the walled gardens.

We branched out to renovate and restock the two rhododendron beds and those either side of the Gazebo. New shrubs were bought with £3000 raised by a funding call to the local park community and planted in autumn 2021.

The year 2022 started with snowdrops at the entrance to the gardens followed by crocuses beginning to naturalise at the entrance to the Remembrance Garden and then the tulips under planted with forget-me-nots in the Horseshoe bed proved to be a showstopper.

Winter and spring were unusually dry and then came the hottest weather ever in July so the perennials in the Long Border came under stress.

However, visitors still enjoyed the show and plants we had given up all hope of are reviving. Spring flowering of pale-yellow day lilies and pink/white bistort are unusually flowering again this autumn.

Our volunteers work every Wednesday, come rain or shine, in all seasons, enjoying the exercise, comradery and acquiring new skills. Do come along to join us and add to the more than 1000 hrs we have put in so far this year.

Awards for Broomfield Park

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:26:45 GMT

Enfield in Bloom awards go to Broomfield Park

Several of our projects have received awards this year. They are the Conservatory (Gold), Wildlife Pond (Gold), Community Orchard (Silver), Community Growing Space (Silver), Walled Garden (Bronze).

How the clubhouse is used

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 10:02:32 GMT

Sports, events and a wide range of activities use the old clubhouse.

The clubhouse and bowling green have become an established hub and venue for the FoBP events programme, for all volunteering activities and the tennis clubs, this in addition to the regular use of the changing rooms and facilities for the North London Netball League.

Much work has been carried out by Enfield Council to improve the facilities, including the installation of a new security shutter, and is very much appreciated by all users.

Two new secure storage sheds were supplied by FoBP (supported by the Palmers Greenery Community Café) and installed on bases by the FoBP volunteers working with the REACH project. These provide convenient storage for Festival Events, the Growing Space and Pond/Lake activities. Our policy is that no equipment of value is stored in our outside stores in view of pervious break-ins.

PLANT SALES IN BROOMFIELD PARK

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 09:49:09 GMT

Lots of plants at great prices

Three Sundays from May 8th near to the conservatory and herbaceous border. 2.30 - 4.30

CHECK DETAILS HERE

BROOMFIELD SUMMER FESTIVAL

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 09:40:57 GMT

A summer of fun with something for everyone

The Friends of Broomfield Park are creating another summer to remember with a rich mix of events staged in the beautiful surroundings of the ‘Broomfield Bowl’. The progr amme runs from June to September and includes live music, open air theatre, family events, a food festival and much more.

SEE THE FULL PROGRAMME HERE

FoBP membership

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 17:10:14 GMT

Support volunteers to make Broomfield an even better place to visit

All Friends of Broomfield Park members can feel the rosy glow that comes from knowing you are making Broomfield Park a great place to visit and spend time.

We will send you member updates on what is going on in the park, give you an opportunity to have your say on key decisions and to come to special members events.

Your membership subscriptions will be used to support a number of the activities, such as:

Education – inspiring future generations by investing in educational resources
Horticulture – such as reviving the historic gardens
Trees – replacing lost trees and improving tree planting to take account of the changing climate and reduce carbon in the atmosphere
Lakes, ponds and wetlands – improving water quality and increasing biodiversity

Types of Membership:

Standard membership is £12 single and double £20
Low income households: £5
Under 25s - Free

If you are a regular volunteer or if you have donated £60 or more in the past two years you can also apply for free membership.

CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT FOBP

Boating Pond - update Feb 2022

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 20:55:16 GMT

latest news on the boating pond

UPDATE: Model boating Pond

As you are all aware the Model Boating Pond in Broomfield Park remains empty and has not been properly maintained for more than eight years.

T he problems:

the borehole pump is not drawing water
the freshwater supply pipe from the borehole to the boating pond is blocked
the base and walls of the boating pond are in a very poor condition

We understand that Enfield Council have allocated funds to investigate the borehole pump and borehole downpipe in the first instance. Graham Campbell, Structures and Watercourses engineer for Enfield Council, has commissioned Miles Water Engineering to carry out the assessment.

We have met with a series of ever more specialist ‘borehole engineers’ who have visited the site to investigate courses of action to resolve the problem. It has been established that the borehole is 450ft deep; the pump is approx. 250ft down, and that it is suspended on a steel downpipe with a bore of between 6 and 10 inches. The pump has not had any maintenance since it was last replaced/repaired about 30 years ago.

To raise the pump and downpipe a heavy-duty crane will be required with an extended reach as the wildlife pond now obstructs access. A survey has been carried out by a specialist crane company and we are waiting to hear from the Council as to when the exploratory work will go ahead.

There is a long way to go with this, but the FoBP recognise the importance of the boating pond in terms of amenity and historical value as well as the aesthetic aspect to Broomfield Park and the local community. We will continue to engage with the Council and our helpful local councillors to resolve the issue and restore the boating pond to its original function.

Kim Lumley

Co - Chair of Friends of Broomfield Park

Feb 2022

Broomfield House and Park - Conservation Management Plan

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 09:20:00 GMT

Everything you ever wanted to know about the heritage of Broomfield House and Park

In March 2016 a detailed survey was done on the remains of Broomfield House and Park to understand its historical significance and condition for restoration. The results a very long read, but will answer lots of questions about the state of the house and park and some interesting insights into the heritage of each.

Download the full report here (pdf)

An overview of the Year

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:56:38 GMT

What have Friends of Broomfield Park been up to since the start of the year?

Friends of Broomfield Park recently held their Annual general Meeting. Check out this short presentation on what has been going on....

Update on model boating pond by Kim Lumley

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 19:44:27 GMT

The challenges continue...

Update on the Boating Pond - a brief summary from the perspective of the FoBP:

Before Xmas the drain pipe from pond to upper lake and the supply pipe from the Clubhouse gate to the pond had been replaced.

Further investigation revealed that the fresh water supply pipe from borehole to the clubhouse gate is not clear and will probably need a full new pipe run (trench).

The borehole pump is not functioning in terms of drawing water and the condition of the borehole pipe is unknown. It requires opening of the borehole cap and an assessment of condition - a heavy lifting job (crane).

The condition of the pond walls and base need assessment and posible repair, this includes the outlets and outlet valve.

This is looking like a major funding project first to carry out a full assessment and then to complete works needed.

Before Xmas david March and I met with Marcus Harvey (Head of Parks Enfield Council) and Graham Cambell (Waterways Engineer Enfield Council). Marcus told us then that he would discuss the project with Doug Wilkinson (Head of Environment Enfield Council). At the Friends of Parks ACM Marcus told me that he had met with the senior members of the Place Directorate of the council and was due to have further meetings to determine what might be done.

I have contacted Graham Campbell and Marcus Harvey with a view to applying for a £60,000 grant through the Enfield Neighbourhood Fund and am currently working with Graham on this. The application requires quite detailed costings which we hope to get in time but it may be that we will have to go for the second phase of applications. Overall costs are likely to exceed this considerably and so other fundraising would be required even if the appplication were successful and we would plan to take an active role in this to support the council.

This week I have accompanied groups of surveyors/engineers to the 'buried' sites (borehole and pipeline manholes) from two different contractors and will wait to hear from Graham the outcome of their assessments.

I have been told that the terminology we have been using is incorrect, it is not an Artesian Well but a Borehole that gives the fresh water supply.

It is clear that alternative water supplies are not suitable - we saw a rapid development of potentially toxic red algae this year after partial filling with rain water and overflow.

Other permissive bodies play an important role - water quality (highrecreational standards would be required for this amenity) and the Environment Agency who have responsibility for maintaining the water table for freshwater supplies. (we would of course claim 'grandfather rights' over maintaining an existing water supply - the FoBP are particularly well supplied with these - grandfathers!).

Tree Project for Broomfield Park - Update

kimlumley56@outlook.com — Tue, 11 May 2021 16:40:36 GMT

84 Trees Planted, close to 1,000 Native Hedgerow Whips planted this Winter, more to come in Autumn 2021.

This has been funded by FoBP, donations from our local park community and businesses, with trees and saplings directly donated by other members of the community and the Enfield Society tree nursery. An extraordinary fund raising exercise through our website 'shop' and Facebook Page led to donations and pledges of close to £12,000 in two weeks, so much that we had to suspend the fundraiser until next Autumns planting season.

We have planted 44 mature trees with protective frames, stakes and watering systems, 6 directly donated trees/saplings, 16 small trees from the Enfield Society tree nursery and 24 Alder saplings on the Wetland bank. David March and his volunteer groups of all ages have been carrying out maintenance of exisiting groups of native hedgerow whips and planting many new whips donated by TCV (The Conservation Volunteers). We greatly appreciate the volunteer support for planting, particularly Uwe, shown here, who helped me hack through up to two foot of compacted gravel and sometimes tarmac which we found under the grass in many sites on the park perimeter. We are grateful also for the help from the Park Staff.

We have pledged to carry out aftercare, including watering of the trees we have planted. This involved an investment in a large mobile water bowser and we have been greatly supported by teams of volunteers, including local children - essential to get a good start in one of the driest Aprils on record.

A full list of the trees planted and those awaiting planting in Autumn can be seen by clic king here .

Broomfield Summer Festival

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 11:17:28 GMT

Live events starting soon in Broomfield Park

S ince March last year we have had a pretty lean time for live events, so you will all be glad to hear we are have a summer-long festival of arts and culture taking plac e at the 'Broomfield Bowl'.

We start with pilot events with limited audiences in May and early June. Then as restrictions ease we will open up more places at events.

We have a great programme in store - something for everyone and great fun to be had by all!

Check out the full 2021 programme here.

Remember what is was like before Covid?.. check out this video from 2019...

Broomfield Winter

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 08:26:37 GMT

Enjoy some of the amazing photos from park visitors and supporters.

Image: Helen Gudgeon

Check out some of the many photographs posted to our webpage by our supporters over that last few weeks and months, capturing some off the moods of Broomfield during the winter months . Click Here .

If you are not already in the Broomfield Park Facebook Group click here to join

Enfield Blue and Green Strategy

kimlumley56@outlook.com — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 16:49:21 GMT

Valuing our parks, trees, open spaces, routes and watercourses

This strategy aims to establish Enfield as a centre of excellence in the management and promotion of blue and green spaces in London, helping to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change, improve health outcomes, encourage social interaction/physical activity, contribute to nature recovery and reduce inequalities.
FoBP would suggest that local voices might consider responding to this survey , some important areas to consider might include:

• Restoration of the Model Boating Pond and the freshwater supply from the well to feed into Pymmes Brook through the lower ponds and Wetland.

• Restoration and development of the ‘Baroque Water Gardens’ and the historic Walled Gardens .

• The development of the Bowling Green and Clubhouse as a hub for local cultural community events, school and other educational group activities.

• Completion of the Wetland project with pathways, seating and other amenities as provided in Firs Farm and Enfield Town Wetlands.

• Following an agreed mowing plan to support the development of species-rich meadowland, and protect the surface roots of veteran trees.

• The development of native hedgerow and a diverse tree landscape .

Press the button below to read a summary of Broomfield Park entries in the documents and comments:

Tree Project for Broomfield Park

kimlumley56@outlook.com — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 15:56:07 GMT

Replacing fallen and dying trees, new planting.

After meeting with Lynden Reed, our new Council Tree Officer, the Friends are developing a 'Tree Plan' for Broomfield Park. This will be funded initially from our existing funds but to plant trees that are mature enough to stand a good chance of survival and to become large park trees, we will need to make this a focus of our fundraising in 2020/21.

Our current plans for this planting season include:

Replacing three fallen Weeping Willows around the model boating pond and the lower lake.
Starting a program of replacing fallen/dying Horse Chestnuts (casualties of bleeding canker and leaf miner beetle). We are going to plant an avenue of Liquidambar Styracifluar (American Sweetgum) at intervals and in place of already fallen Horse Chestnuts in the avenue leading from the Coronation Gates enclosing the 'green gym'. We plan to plant eight initially this year.
To replace two fallen Horse Chestnuts by the fence on Aldermans Hill with two Tylia Cordata (Small Leaf Lime) .
New planting on the southern bank of the Wetland. A copse of Alder , with a mix of red, grey and common Alder. This should give a delightful combination of bark colours, catkins and small cones especially attractive to different variety of wildlife (insects and small birds) and children. To plant a Weeping Willow , recently donated by a Friend of the park.
Further planting of the native hedgerow around the park perimeter to develop habitat, reduce particulate and noise pollution within the park. We have a further donation of 940 whips from The Conservation Volunteers coming in late January and the Enfield Society have donated us an interesting selection of small trees currently growing in their tree nursery.
A Tree Nursery - we have already started a tree nursery in the Community Orchard and Growing Space with saplings grown on from local acorns or seedlings and plan to develop this with other locally sourced seeds from different tree varieties. When grown as small trees these will be planted in the park at sites agreed with the Tree Officer over the coming years.
Future planting ideas: new trees to provide shade on the South bank next to the Childrens Playground; groups of trees to help screen the view of the netball/tennis courts from the Western field; a new row of trees parallel to the footpath on the East border of the park.

This project follows on from the document we published on the website in March - 'Environmental and Climate Change Actions in Broomfield Park' and is an important further step in maintaining and developing natural habitat and supporting biodiversity in our park. In choosing trees we have to take into consideration factors such as disease resistance , adaptation to likely climate change and biosecurity . We will ensure that any tree suppliers follow guidelines which respect these values.

We will need the support of volunteers in 2021 to help with planting, aftercare and fundraising and will be sending Newsletters on our Facebook Page to publicize this.

Kim Lumley

David March

Co-Chairs Friends of Broomfeld Park

Live Theatre in Broomfield Bowl

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 09:13:57 GMT

A Midsummer Nights Dream in Broomfield Bowl

A great evening of live theatre from The There Inch Fools' performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The weather did not exactly reflect the title but a hardy audience wrapped up and even hardier actors played their hearts out to create an enthralling interpretation of the the Shakespeare classic with only three actors!

Many thanks also to photographer Gary Moyes for his fab images of the evening which you can check out here .

Tennis and Netball Courts Improvements: Update

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 08:22:52 GMT

Contractor due to take possession of the site 24th August

The Council's contractor, Kensons, will be taking possession of the site on the 24th August. The contract period is 15 weeks

Access for their vehicles will be through a new gated entrance further up Aldermans Hill beyond the orchard. The lorries will cross the field to the back of the courts and access to the courts will be from the west and south sides.

There will be some disruption to park users where lorries will cross the footpath that is parallel to Aldermans Hill, but this will be managed with the use of temporary barriers and banksmen on those occasions when a vehicle has to cross the footpath.

The Council's Parks Arboriculturalist (Christopher Langdown) has confirmed that there will only be minor pruning of trees around the courts and that this will be limited to pruning branches that overhang the fencing to the courts and in the case of one lime tree on the south side of the courts to also raising it's crown.

The duct for the new power supply to light the footpath and to floodlight the courts will run from the pedestrian gate on Aldermans Hill to a point near the Palmers Greenery Community Cafe. Within defined 'tree protection zones' any excavation will have to be done by hand as required by the LBE Arboriculturalist. These works will be done later in the construction programme.

The whips in the area by the new gated vehicle access will be dug up by the contractor and planted in our temporary tree nursery in the Orchard.

Duckweed good or bad?

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 18:03:02 GMT

Lots of people have mentioned duckweed on the lakes.....here we try and explain what is happening....

Duckweed is a familiar sight of freshwater ponds, flooded gravel pits and old canals. Broomfield Park is no exception.

As its name suggests, it does provide food for ducks, but it can also provide shelter for spawning Common Frogs and Common Toads. Duckweed is a healthy nutrient for wildfowl and other aquatic wildlife and may contribute to removing pollutants from the water and reduce algal growth.

In normal conditions, duckweed is just another part of the annual cycle of a pond or lake. However, in Broomfield Park we have recently seen vast, green mats of common duckweed that sometimes cover the surface of the lakes. This tiny, single plant groups together to form 'lawns'. Potentially duckweed is not as bad as algae as not as “enveloping” but still blocks out the light and uses available oxygen for all pond life.

The increased water flows after recent changes could have brought an excess of nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates in rainwater systems from local homes and other buildings. The reed beds were recently introduced to try and reduce these pollutants and we should try to develop these further.

For this year (2020) the duckweed cannot be easily removed. It will die off as weather conditions change.

In future years we will be working with the Council and Thames water to:

• Reduce pollution from our rainwater systems at source

• Increase the planting of reed beds to lower pollution

• Introduce more barley bales which help reduce algae and duckweed

• ...........etc

Download guide to duckweeds from the Botanical Society

What's the latest on the Model Boating Pond?

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:17:35 GMT

Its been a long time, but things are happening on the Boating Pond... let's hope they get resolved soon....

Last year we saw a lot of Algae growing in the Boating Pond. The pond was drained over the winter, but work has been going on to help get the pond back again.

The most recent news is that the pond is about to be swept using a special machine. There have been calls to get a group of volunteers together to do it, but proper safe methods of collection and disposal would be the most appropriate action. We may still need some volunteers to help finish the job, but we hope that the lion's share can be done mechanically soon. Once the pond is clear we can install barley Bails which will help reduce algae growth in future.

Drainage contractors have carried out CCTV analysis of the supply and drainage pipe systems to the boating pond and tested the pump at the fresh water well bore hole.

Marcus Harvey of Enfield Council says: " The water supply pump has been investigated, it is very aged infrastructure and does not appear to be functioning. We have been ruling out the reasons for this one by one. Including blockages on the line, the working of the pump itself and the absence of reliable ground water in the well. Due to a lot of remaining uncertainty regarding this asset and potential spiralling costs we are now exploring other means of providing water input into the boating pond."

Also just yesterday (5 August 2020) Cllr Yasemin Brett, who had picked up the baton in response to the number of concerns raised on the FoBP Facebook Group, had a reply from Graham Campbell from Enfield Council who wrote:

Dear Cllr Brett

I am responding to the MEQ as reference above in relation to the following:

“Considerable complaints about the Algae choking off Wildlife in Broomfield Park. When will the lakes be cleaned and the boating pond reinstated?”

Response:

The cause of the algae and duckweed in the waterbodies in Broomfield Park (the lakes and the new wetlands) is due to high nutrient loading of the inflows into these water bodies. As part of the wetland creation project at Broomfield Park we have been carrying out water quality monitoring of the surface water flows alongside our delivery partner Thames21. It was found that the readings for nitrogen and phosphate were classed as “poor” (according to Water Framework Directive (WFD) values), and at levels which would cause algal blooms. It seems that on the boating pond we are seeing a process known as eutrophication, with algal blooms becoming more pronounced in the summer.

The source of these nutrients in the catchment is likely to be misconnections from the foul network to the surface water in the catchment, this is an issue that Thames Water are aware of in the upstream catchment. A plus point to consider is that the readings for the same nutrients (nitrogen and phosphate) are much lower at the outfall of the wetlands, indicating that they appear to be functioning in respect to reducing nutrient loads. However at the wetlands are downstream of the lakes this does not solve the problem directly (just more generally for the water flowing onwards to Pymmes Brook).

For the lakes to be meaningfully “cleaned” they would need to be desilted. This would carry a high cost and is not a job that I am aware of being programmed at this point.

.......

Kind regards

Graham Campbell

Senior Engineer - Watercourses

Environment & Operational Services

Algae in the Broomfield Lakes

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 11:17:00 GMT

Your questions answered about Algae in Broomfield Lakes

Response to Cllr Brett to question: “Considerable complaints about the Algae choking off Wildlife in Broomfield Park. When will the lakes be cleaned and the boating pond reinstated?”

Response:

The cause of the algae in the waterbodies in Broomfield Park (the lakes and the new wetlands) is due to high nutrient loading of the inflows into these water bodies. As part of the wetland creation project at Broomfield Park we have been carrying out water quality monitoring of the surface water flows alongside our delivery partner Thames21. It was found that the readings for nitrogen and phosphate were classed as “poor” (according to Water Framework Directive (WFD) values), and at levels which would cause algal blooms. It seems that we are seeing a process known as eutrophication, with algal blooms becoming more pronounced in the summer.

For the lakes to be meaningfully “cleaned” they would need to be desilted. This would carry a high cost and is not a job that I am aware of being programmed at this point.

The boating pond is a slightly separate matter as the inflow has traditionally been through a ground water pump. This pump has been investigated, it is very aged infrastructure and does not appear to be functioning. We have been ruling out the reasons for this one by one. Including blockages on the line, the working of the pump itself and the absence of reliable ground water in the well. Due to a lot of remaining uncertainty regarding this asset and potential spiralling costs we are now exploring other means of providing water input into the boating pond. I believe the cleaning of sediment from the at present dry boating pond is currently in-hand with Parks Operations. @Marcus Harvey should be able to update on this.

Walking The Dog

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 15:21:12 GMT

August is a celebration of our canine friends and their humans

'Walking The Dog'

This August we are focusing our Facebook Group on our canine friends and their humans.... 'Walking The Dog' is a favourite pastime in the park for a large community of owners. Please post a portrait photo (taken in the park) and a little story about you and your pooch on our FACEBOOK GROUP . You could also feature another dog walker and let us hear a bit more about the marvellous mutts of Broomfield Park. If you are not using Facebook, send us an email with a photo and a short message .

This is Lexi a cockapoo, whose owner Ahmed we met outside the Greenery Cafe.

Photo: Helen Gudgeon

Thanks to you all for posting such lovely photos

davidartwilliamson@gmail.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 11:49:17 GMT

Thanks to everyone for posting photos for our various Facebook themes

Many thanks to all of the Friends of Broomfield Park for you contributions to our postings. Theresa Clark has done a brilliant visual summary of one of this year's themes - the Broomfield Flower show. Check out h e r Padlet page here

Other themes this year have been:

Inspired by spring - an online art exhibition
Focus on Trees - some of the star performers in Broomfield Park

... and coming up:

August - 'walking the dog' a celebration of our canine friends of the park
Autumn colour
Winter wonderland

PRIDE OF INDIA TREE

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 19:52:14 GMT

This interesting tree is found just behind the bus stop on Aldermans Hill and was planted in memory of Salvatore Oliveri (1933-1999). The tree has a spreading rounded crown and grows up to 12m high and is known for its good autumn colour.

Also known as the Golden Rain tree or Varnish Tree

It is a member of the Soapberry family and is related to Horse Chestnuts.

It has beautiful pinnate divided leaves that are coarsely toothed. They are pinkish in spring, turning lime green in the summer and then orange/yellow in autumn. It has panicles of small yellow flowers in July/August followed by distinctive seed pods. The bark on this tree is covered in colourful lichen.

Although known as the Pride of India tree, it is native to East Asia (China and Korea). In Korea it is called Mogamchoonamu.

In Chinese history it was one of five official trees which could be planted as a memorial by a tomb and is common around temples, palaces, and public gardens. In South Korea it is a protected tree for cultural reasons.

It was introduced into Europe in 1747 by Pierre d’Incarville, a Jesuit Priest and into England in the 1760’s.

There is a semi-circle of these trees in Battersea Park near the West Carriage Drive. They were planted in 1997 to commemorate 50 years since Indian Independence.

Veteran Oaks

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 08:38:10 GMT

The oldest and most venerable trees in the park (apart from the two Yews) are the English or pedunculate Oaks. These Veteran oaks are mostly in the western half of the park.

As these trees have got older they can no longer support a high and full crown of leaf, so some begin to shed limbs leaving dramatic jagged wounds and stumps and hollow trunks with a wispy regrowth from the limbs and a healthy canopy of branches lower down.

Veteran oaks provide an excellent wildlife habitat value supporting the highest number of insect and bird species of any tree species currently growing in this country – not to mention the value of the decomposing dead stems lying of the ground.

Sadly these trees are under attack from all angles – not only from public vandalism in the form of setting fires in the bases of hollow trunks but also maintenance vandalism from mowing practices where mowers are continually damaging the surfaces roots poking up through the grass surrounding the trees. Added to this, nature is doing its part with heart rot fungi attacking the internal tissues of the main trunks and scaffold limbs causing hollowing and cavities. This is natural and common with older trees.

The Conservation Management Plan for Broomfield House states that

‘These venerable specimens should be given the respect that they are due’ and recommends that ‘the best management policy will be to identify key trees and have some form of ‘knee-rail’ wooden fencing erected around them and the grass within these zones allowed to grow uncut by strimmers thus eliminating the mower and strimmer damage to roots and trunks…. Any fallen wood will not be cleared away and the area sanitised but rather the sections of fallen stems will be collected together into rough piles around the trunk to be allowed to break down and decompose naturally….the low fencing would still allow the public to enter if they so wished therefore it will be essential that adequate educational signage is used that explains to the public why the area has been cordoned off for their safety and the protection of a venerable specimen tree and seek their co-operation with this management strategy.’

Would you like to help identify the key Veteran oak trees that should be protected for the future? If so, contact the FoBP through the volunteering page on our website.

The oak is the national tree of England and the timber has great strength and natural durability and is associated with shipbuilding, timber framed buildings, watermills, windmills and furniture making. Its acorns were fed to pigs and the bark used to tan leather.

Hugh Johnson reminds us in The International Book of Trees that 500 years ago at the time of Henry VIII a third of Britain was covered by oak trees.

Of the 450 species of oaks in the world there are two species that are native to the UK and northern Europe

Quercus robur – the English or pedunculate oak
Quercus petraea – the durmast or sessile oak

It is the pedunculate oak which is the oak of imagery characterised by ‘broad and slow, angular and ponderous-branched’ and not especially tall. By comparison, the sessile oak is a taller and more upward reaching tree.

There are other differences between these two species: the pedunculate oak has its acorns on peduncles or stalks, the sessile oak has them sitting a twig. The leaves also differ. The pedunculate oak has short stalked leaves which form stiff rosettes at the end of the twigs, which in effect form a broken canopy. The sessile oak have stalked leaves which form an even coverage giving uniform shade.

OAKS APPLES

Do you know what an oak apple is? It is the common name for a round gall found on oak trees. They are about 20 - 40mm in diameter and are caused by a tiny wasp called Biorhiza pallida, which has laid her eggs in the leaf bud. The galls can be seen between May and June and the larvae eat their way out in June and July.

The ink that helped to write the history of our world came from an oak tree

The most important texts in western history - including the Magna Carta, Newton's theories and Mozart's music - were written using oak gall ink. It was the standard writing and drawing ink in Europe from the end of the Roman period to the 19th Century.

Check out this video which explains it more https://bbc.in/2YxZhuc

HMS VICTORY

Did you know that in Napoleonic times over 2,000 oak trees were used to build Lord Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory? This was the equivalent to 60 acres of oak forest.

What is a Veteran Tree?

https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/historic-environment-resources/veteran-trees/

Veteran Yews

dfmarch66@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:48:13 GMT

There are two 'veteran' yews on the edge of the lawn behind Broomfield House. Both have been extensively reduced in height due to storm damage.

The souvenir programme commemorating the opening of the park in April 1903 stated that they were believed to be 800 years old. However, the 2016 Conservation Management Plan for Broomfield House estimates them to be over 300 years old.

It is very difficult to precisely date the age of a yew. The dendrologist Alan Mitchell is quoted as saying “most trees look older than they are except for yews which are even older than they look.”

London’s oldest yew is probably the Totteridge yew in the churchyard of St Andrew and is thought to be 2000 years old. The oldest yew in the UK is in Perthshire and is believed to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old.

In British folklore, yew is associated with immortality and death and are a feature of many churchyards.

Yew is one of the hardest of all softwood species. All parts of the yew tree are considered toxic and poisonous to humans.

Broomfield Park Trees

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 10:16:57 GMT

Trees in the Broomfield Park - what we are doing and plans for the future

Broomfield has a magnificent collection of trees.

Some are getting a bit past it and need to be replaced, but we are planting more trees to make a contribution to a greener world.

Long term Plan to Improve the Landscape:

engagement with the community, including schools and Enfield Climate Action Forum (EnCaf)
identify structural planting to replace trees lost to disease and storms
continue planting native hedgerow around the edge of the Park
identify scope for new tree planting
create a tree nursery
crowdfunding and grant application

Broomfield's Lakes and pond

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 09:51:06 GMT

Broomfield's Lakes and Pond - Update

Wild Swimming .

The Broomfield Swim Society is continuing its campaign and exploring new funding streams after they were unable to meet the initial crowd funding target. Their aims have changed and broadened since they started and now the project includes restoration of all the lakes and the Boating Pond and some of the surrounds as well as developing clean water sources and swimming in the lower lake.

This has become a very large project and will involve the local community, Enfield Council, Historic England and many other organisations in consultation if it succeeds. It has the potential to make significant and very welcome improvement in the park.

FoBP formally support this project and have added to our action Plan for 2020/21. We hope to take an active part in the process as well as helping to publicise, promote and engage the local and park communities.

Cleaning the Boating Pond

A high priority in our 2019/20 Action Plan was to drain and clean the Boating Pond and restore a clean water supply from the artesian well. Over the winter, Enfield Council's contractors carried out work to repair the collapsed pipelines in both supply and drainage systems. This should have fixed the problem, but we have been unable to operate the drain from the pond effectively. A further survey showed that the supply pipe is working, but that there is a further blockage in the drain from the pond. We are waiting to hear when this work is completed before we work with the Council to drain and clean the Pond. Hopefully this can be done before the algae starts to get a foothold in the summer.

A hidden gem brought back to life....

Sat, 07 Mar 2020 10:29:41 GMT

A hidden gem brought back to life....

A stone-carved memorial which commemorates the opening of Broomfield Park to the public nearly 100 years ago has been restored.

Pupils from Hazelwood and Broomfield schools joined Friends of Broomfield Park, Heritage London Fund, Councillors, MP Bambos Charalambous and the Enfield Society marking the restoration of the plaque commemorating the creation of Broomfield Park.

After decades of neglect, the memorial which sits close to the main entrance to the park, has been cleaned and the lettering has been recut by conservation specialists.

Initiated by the Broomfield House Trust, the restoration was funded by the Heritage of London Trust, the Enfield Society, and the Friends of Broomfield Park.

Enfield Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Ian Barnes, said: “This has been a very worthy, collaborative effort between volunteers, historical experts and artisans with one aim – to protect and enhance an important piece of Enfield history.”

A Great Year of Events in Broomfield Park

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 23:15:02 GMT

Our communities have been an amazing support in 2019

WATCH VIDEO

2019 has been a very successful year with a wide range of community-driven events in the park. Over 13,000 people came to the park to enjoy activities including music, theatre, dance, storytelling, well-being, apple tasting, food and much more. Lots of new people have got involved in running events and activities for their communities - and 2020 will be even better!
Check out this short video to see some of the events

Tree Planting in Broomfield

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 10:32:39 GMT

Join us to plant more trees on Sunday 8th and 15th December from 1.30-3.30pm

We will be planting more trees on the south side of the park as part of the I Dig Trees campaign. It's fun and refreshments will be provided

Celebrate the Completion of the New Wetland on Wednesday 14th August 11.00 to 1.00pm

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 09:41:25 GMT

Hear about the multiple benefits the Wetland provides; Take part in Citizen Science; Refreshments provided

Broomfield Wetland Community Planting Day Sunday 28th July 10.30 to 4.30

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 09:32:04 GMT

Help us plant 600 plug plants in the wetland

The Model Boating Pond. Help us at a clean-up on 7th July between 2.00 and 4.00pm

Sun, 30 Jun 2019 08:39:45 GMT

After the amazing turnout at the last clean-up on the 1st June organised by Theresa Clark, the Friends of Broomfield Park need your help to have another go at clearing out the algae. It's mucky work, so please come suitably dressed.

The Model Boating Pond

Sun, 26 May 2019 21:39:23 GMT

Help us clear out the algae from the pond on the 1st June.

Following Theresa Clark's initiative to put Barley Straw in the pond to inhibit the growth of algae, we have got the Council's permission to clean out the algae and other muck.

Join us on Saturday the 1st June between 10.00am and 4.00pm. A special thanks to John Cogger for paying for the cost of the barley.

The Palmers Greenery Cafe will be providing free drinks for the volunteers.

The Wetlands Begin to Take Shape

Sun, 26 May 2019 21:26:56 GMT

Volunteers made an impressive start on planting up the new Wetlands at an event coordinated by Thames 21 on the 21st May.

There was a fantastic turn out with volunteers from the Pymmes Brookers, the Coca Cola Foundation, FoBP, local residents and Councillors Daniel Anderson and Lindsay Rawlings.

Over 100 pre-planted mats were positioned in the water.

There will be other opportunities to help with more planting, including a weekend event.

Broomfield House News Update

Fri, 10 May 2019 12:41:15 GMT

Enfield carrying out a new feasibility study to reconstruct the shell of the House

View of the house in c.1910

The FoBP and the Broomfield House Trust welcome Enfield's recent decision to carry out a feasibility study into the viability of repairing and reconstructing the exterior shell of the building and reinstatement of essential interior structure that may be necessary to provide structural integrity. The interior will not be fitted out other than as a café on the ground floor and other suitable income generating uses will be investigated. Funding would be provided by the disposal of the stableyard for housing.

Our comments are as follows:

"Over recent months the Council-led Broomfield House Partnership Board has examined a range of options for the reconstruction of Broomfield House. The Broomfield House Trust, the Friends of Broomfield Park and Historic England are represented on the Partnership Board.

These options range from a full heritage-standard repair and reconstruction of the House, partial reconstruction through to demolition. The funding implications of each option were examined. Although we would have wished to develop the stable yard for community use, the only combination of options and funding which approached the main aim of reconstructing and reopening the House relies on housing development in the stable yard.

We believe that if the House is reconstructed as proposed in the LBE statement it will be possible to attract further funding to complete the full reconstruction of the House and eventually, the restoration of the Lanscroon Murals. Attempting to attract full funding from commercial or charitable sources in one go has proved impossible, and partial reconstruction of the House would be inappropriate in both historic building and landscape terms. We found our views were consistent with the Conservation Architect who attended the last meeting of the Partnership Board and we look forward to seeing his ideas developed.

The Council’s statement makes it clear that there are issues which need to be explored, but clearly if we are unsuccessful in resolving them the House is likely to be demolished. In the interim the Council sees the merit of ongoing funding for stabilising the house and protecting it (hoarding and surveillance) both on safety grounds and to meet Historic England requirements."

The Enfield statement is as follows:

"The Council, working in partnership with the Broomfield House Partnership Board, aims to resolve the future of Broomfield House which is currently unsafe and a blight on the Park.

In March 2019 the Executive Director of Place, Sarah Cary in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property & Assets, Cllr Ahmet Oykener, approved further feasibility work be undertaken into the viability of delivering a shell reconstruction of Broomfield House. This would be cost neutral to the Council with funding arising from the disposal of the redundant fire damaged stable block / yard which was formerly used for staff accommodation for repair and development and without reliance upon obtaining grant aid.

Feasibility work will include pre application planning advice from Historic England and the Local Planning Authority and further market testing of the stable block / yard for a residential development.

The approval noted that the Council-led shell reconstruction envisages repair and reconstruction of the exterior shell of the building and reinstatement of essential interior structure that may be necessary to provide structural integrity. The interior will not be fitted out other than as a café on the ground floor and other suitable income generating uses will be investigated.

It is further noted that the outcome of the feasibility work will be reported to Cabinet for approval of the way forward. If the shell option is not viable, an application to the Secretary of State to review the listing and dismantling of the remaining structure would be the only remaining viable and deliverable alternative.

It was approved that the Partnership Board continue as a consultation body to oversee the development of the option.

A capital budget was approved to enable the shell option to be progressed and to enable the ongoing protection and maintenance of the house and related heritage assets over the next year.

Contact officer: Mark Bradbury, LBE Director of Property and Economy

Working with young people in the Park

Fri, 03 May 2019 15:00:53 GMT

FoBP have linked with the REACH project and Younger Community Service Workers to develop projects within the Growing Space, Wildlife Pond and Wild Flower Gardens in Broomfield Park.

We are working on Saturday mornings with Community Service Workers and all day on Wednesdays for the next two months with 13 to 14yr olds in the REACH Project. This is a programme run by Enfield Council Behaviour Support Service that provides an intervention to help prevent exclusion from school or alternative provision of education. Their aims are to:

Make an impact on changing and modifying behaviours and attitudes towards learning beyond their time at school.
Enable the learner to achieve a sense of success and pride within the curriculum offered.
Develop the learners’ social, emotional and behavioural skills.
Introduce learners to new skills and opportunities that they may not have been involved in previously.

Apart from digging out thistles we have been making and filling a large composter, creating and filling raised planting beds in which the group and other community park users can grow food crops, learning and hopefully consuming the products in the process. We will be exploring our beehives and honey production, the many varieties of fruit tree in the orchard and looking at wildlife in the pond among other activities.

News on the Wetlands

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:04:39 GMT

The diggers are here!

Planning Permission was granted in November 2018 for a scheme which aims to achieve the following:

Reduction in flood risk for properties in the local area and downstream, by increasing the storage of flood waters for extreme events
Improvements in water quality in the Pymmes Brook catchment through natural, restorative treatment
Opportunities for community participation
Enhancements in biodiversity by creating diverse and interesting habitat areas
Greater variety of land types with new views and spaces to enjoy
Improve drainage from some water logged areas of the park

The Benefits of the Wetlands

Wildlife

The scheme will aim to add ecological value to the area.

Whilst the majority of the area will remain unchanged, the new wetland will provide the opportunity for a greater range in biodiversity. The wetland will be planted with reeds, marginal flowers and grasses. The new aquatic habitat will attract amphibian, insects and birds.

Flooding

Constructed wetlands are a form of flood management which are capable of storing water during and after storm events, reducing flood risk to local properties and other downstream areas. The inclusion of this feature can also assist in draining nearby water logged areas of the park.

Water quality

The diversion of surface water sewer to a wetland environment allows for improvements to the water quality through natural restorative treatment.

Amenity

Introducing a wetland feature will increase the variety of spaces throughout Broomfield Park which will allow for users to interact in new ways.

Funding

The project is externally funded by The Rivers Trust. The project is managed by Enfield Council with the support of Thames21 and FoBP.

Click links below for further detailed information

Broomfield Park Wetlands Proposal

Enfield Planning Committee report November 2018

Plan of Wetland s

Memorial Garden Rosebed to be renewed.

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 16:49:37 GMT

Friends of Broomfield Park are providing 5 tons of topsoil and roses to allow Bernadette and Misha the park gardeners to renew the rosebed.

Bee Blog

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Feeding the bees for winter

https://youtu.be/JUjnRP_8u4w

Another lovely sunny afternoon in the Broomfield Apiary, the thermometer read 20C and bees were flying out from the hives and bringing back yellow and white pollen. There are crocuses and pulmonaria in flower locally which are good early spring pollen sources for honey bees. With this warm weather the bees are already producing brood to start building up the colony numbers and need a plentiful supply of food. To make sure they don't starve we check the level of honey stores in the hives and give further pollen and sugar fondant supplements, when the weather is reliably warm we will start to feed with a sugar solution until we are happy that there are plentiful nectar supplies available in the locality.
The temperature allowed a quick peek in the brood box to see that the queen has started laying and that the early brood is looking healthy and disease free - all looking good today, time to start planning and preparations for the busy season ahead.

Tree Planting

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 14:51:47 GMT

Volunteers planting a new native hedgerow along Aldermans Hill and Powys Lane

To celebrate National Tree Week in early December, local MP Bambos Charalambous and Councillor Mary Maguire helped volunterers with the whip planting. Over 1000 trees have been planted in the last three years. The hedgerow will increase biodiversity and help reduce the impact of noise and air pollution within the park

Silver for the Wildlife Pond

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 09:47:03 GMT

The Wildlife Pond was awarded a Silver in the 2018 Enfield in Bloom competition

To see photographs of all the many Enfield in Bloom winners visit www.enfieldinbloom.org.uk/competition-results-2018. .

Gold for the Conservatory

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 09:46:50 GMT

The Conservatory was awarded a Gold by Enfield in Bloom in the category ' Exceptional Horticultural Contribution to the Community - Small Displays'

Silver for the Orchard

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 09:22:51 GMT

The Orchard was awarded a Silver in the 2018 Enfield in Bloom competition