Volunteering · Environmental

Pymmes Park

Building an Environmental Baseline for the Pond, Wetland & Pymmes Brook Connection

See What I’m Doing ↓

The Role

What This Actually Is

Since July 2026, I have been volunteering at Pymmes Park through Enfield Council’s EnLab Project. My assigned focus is the water, specifically the pond, the wetland area, and how they connect with Pymmes Brook.

What I’m actually doing right now is building an environmental baseline: observing, documenting and recording what is happening at the site so there is a reference point for any future changes. That’s it. No big project, no formal deliverables, just consistent presence and honest documentation.

Context

How It Came About

🌳

The Park

Pymmes Park is a public park in North London with a pond, a wetland area and a direct connection to Pymmes Brook. Friends of Pymmes Park is the community group that looks after it.

👤

Me

A volunteer. Not a contractor, not a consultant, a volunteer who happens to have a technical background and whose assigned focus is the water. Supporting Sumishta and the Friends group.

🏛️

The Programme

Enfield Council’s EnLab Project. They provide supervision, can reimburse travel expenses, and offer training and references after 6 months.

The Work

What I’m Actually Doing

Building a Baseline

Going to the park, observing the pond and wetland, and writing down what I see. Water condition, wildlife, vegetation, erosion, litter, flow, anything relevant.

Looking at the Water

Paying attention to how the pond connects with Pymmes Brook. Water level, clarity, any blockages, how it changes after rain.

Showing Up

Attending regularly, reporting sessions to my supervisors, and being available if the Council’s engineering team needs someone on the ground.

Pymmes Park Pond Area

What I Have

What I Actually Have

Not much yet. But what exists is real and documented.

Signed

Volunteer Agreement

Signed agreement with Enfield Council. Attend sessions, give notice, follow H&S, report to supervisors.

Jul 2026

Email

Role Assignment

Email from Chloe Chandler: “Your main focus will be looking after the water in the park.”

08/07/2026

Received

Pond Desilting Costs

Outline cost estimate: £28,500–£50,000. Shows the Council is considering real investment.

From Council

Received

Park Drainage Plan

Technical plan showing borehole, pond and drainage connection.

From Council

Building

Environmental Baseline

Observations of water condition, wildlife, vegetation, flow. Building it session by session.

In progress

Starting

Session Notes

Brief notes from each visit. What I saw, what I did. Simple record.

Just starting

Network

Who I Talk To

Sumishta & Friends of Pymmes Park

The community group. They know the park better than anyone and I work around their activities.

Council Supervisors

Originally Chloe Chandler, now Hatice Abdullah and Sarah Kirkham. I report to them as required.

Michael Shorey (Engineer)

The Council’s lead engineer for blue/green infrastructure. Available for technical questions if needed.

Progress

Honest Progress

No inflated metrics. This is where things actually stand.

Volunteer Agreement signed

Role defined: water focus

Received technical docs (costs, drainage plan)

Supervisor transition handled

Building the environmental baseline

Writing session notes

Establishing a regular rhythm

Why It Matters

Why I’m Doing This

JACUQ’s work is about connecting with real situations, not just theory, not just paid projects. Volunteering at Pymmes Park is a way to contribute to the local community while staying grounded in what actually happens when people, organisations and government interact around a shared space.

The baseline I’m building may or may not lead to something bigger. But the act of showing up, observing carefully, and documenting honestly, that already has value. It’s the same discipline that makes JACUQ’s client work effective: pay attention, record what you see, and let the patterns emerge.

See the Full Picture

Pymmes Park is one side of how JACUQ connects with the world. See the other side, or let’s talk about what JACUQ could do for you.

JACUQ Advisor

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