If you've been wondering why the model boating pond in Broomfield Park has been in such a sorry state for so long, it's because restoring the water supply from a borehole in the park is by no means straightforward. Kim Lumley from Friends of Broomfield Park explains why:
Ahead of May's council elections, a collective of Enfield friends of parks groups has issued a manifesto aimed at persuading candidates from all parties to commit to a list of measures that would improve the borough's green spaces.
Kahtan Kibasi has sent in a poem about Broomfield Conservatory, written while it was closed during lockdown. He introduces it with a thankyou message to the volunteers who look after the conservatory and its plants.
The appeal by the Friends of Broomfield Park for donations to help restore three of the park's borders has got off to a great start. Only four days after sending out their first email asking for donations, enough money had flowed in for the Friends to start work on one of the borders this autumn. However, the volunteers are still £1000 short of the amount they need to complete the project.
Broomfield Conservatory has now reopened to the public. Visiting hours are 2.30 to 4.30 on Wednesdays and Sundays. On Sunday 5th September there will be a sale of house plants to raise funds for the upkeep of the Conservatory.
This photo/music project featuring beautiful photographs taken in Broomfield Park was created by Annemarie Fearnley and Jonathan Wober during lockdown and included in Tower Theatre's 'Love (and Survival) in the Time of Covid' festival.
Two years ago Palmers Green resident Joseph, then aged 14, wrote a highly personal and persuasive letter to his local councillors suggesting that young people would greatly benefit from a skate park in Broomfield Park. A group of local parents have now begun a campaign to fulfil Joseph's vision and have launched an online petition. Friends of Broomfield Park have said that they would welcome a feasibility study and more detailed proposals and will be interested to hear what their members and other local residents think about the idea.
When at the end of 2020 Friends of Broomfield Park announced the launch of their Tree Project, they were surprised (and delighted) when individuals and businesses offered to donate trees for planting in the park. Obviously, they didn't turn down the offers and are now seeking further donations so that they can make their planting plans even more ambitious and turn Palmers Green even greener.
Gardener Vic Black writes that people have told her that at one time there were up to 12 gardeners tending to the flowerbeds in Broomfield Park. More recently, however, there has been no brigade of park staff to keep the beds in check, so many were sadly reclaimed by the weeds. And that would probably still be the case, if the Friends of Broomfield Park had not stepped in...