Chesham’s New Cultural Plan outlines a shared vision for a creative, connected, and vibrant Chesham. Chesham Town Council and Bucks Culture are proud to present the new Chesham Cultural Plan—a community‑driven roadmap shaped through months of collaboration, creativity, and conversation. This place-based approach to strategy connects directly to the county-wide Buckinghamshire Cultural Strategy.
Developed with invaluable input from local artists, organisations, cultural leaders, educators, businesses, and passionate residents, the plan reflects Chesham’s unique identity and sets ambitious priorities for the years ahead. Together, we have defined a vision that supports culture to flourish, strengthens community life, and champions the creativity that already makes Chesham special.
How the Plan Was Created
The Cultural and Creative Plan emerged from a series of focused workshops held in Autumn 2025. These sessions brought together a diverse group of cultural stakeholders who contributed their experience, insight, and aspirations for the town’s future.
The Process Included:
Understanding Chesham’s current cultural landscape, strengths, and challenges.
Identifying possibilities for growth, innovation, partnership, and community engagement.
Agreeing the strategic direction, key themes, and practical actions that will guide implementation.
Each session fostered lively discussion, collaboration, and idea‑sharing—ensuring the final plan is rooted in community voices and real local need. We were supported in this process by Bucks-based live illustrator Elly Bazigos, who captured the conversations and process through colourful illustrations.
What the Cultural and Creative Plan Aims to Achieve
The Chesham Cultural and Creative Plan sets out a bold yet achievable vision, that builds on great work already taking place in the town. It focusses on these priorities:
This plan would not be possible without the dedicated community members who contributed their time, energy, and creativity throughout the workshop process. Their commitment has shaped a shared vision that belongs to the whole town. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated, supported the discussions, and helped set Chesham on a path towards a vibrant cultural future.
What’s Next?
The Cultural and Creative Plan now moves into its implementation phase. Chesham Town Council and Bucks Culture have already begun work with local partners to:
Develop and ratify a Creative and Cultural Charter for Chesham
Develop a partnership logo to endorse the Charter with students from Buckinghamshire New University
Draft and submit an Expression of Interest to the Town of Culture 2028 competition.
Next steps include:
Rolling out the Cultural and Creative logo
Seeking funding and resource opportunities
Creating partnership networks
Shaping new cultural initiatives and community programmes.
Progress updates will be shared regularly—as this is just the beginning. Chesham’s new Cultural and Creative Plan represents our collective belief that creativity enriches lives, strengthens communities, and shapes a thriving town. We look forward to continuing this journey.
We are excited to invite organisations and creatives from across Buckinghamshire to share their ideas and express their interest in collaborating in an innovative developmental partnership that explores co-creation as a powerful way to bring local stories to life through creativity. Building on the success of Together We Build, this initiative will explore new creative approaches to storytelling. Heritage and cultural organisations will be paired with artists and creative practitioners to uncover and share important local stories in fresh, engaging, and imaginative ways.
This project does not yet have funding. The Expression of Interest (EOI) process will help shape the application that Bucks Culture submits to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We want to support innovative collaborations that bring locally significant community memories, cultural traditions, and heritage to life. By capturing and sharing these stories, the project aims to safeguard them for future generations, ensuring that lived experiences continue to inform, inspire, and strengthen our local communities.
Oral histories are a rich source of knowledge, insight, and creativity, and they will sit at the heart of the Stories 2 project. Through meaningful partnerships, the project will enable organisations to uncover, amplify, and celebrate hidden local stories and engage under-represented audiences using creative and inclusive approaches to storytelling, participation, and interpretation.
Projects may draw on existing oral history collections or generate new recordings. All activity should be rooted in co-creation with communities, ensuring that participants help shape both the process and the outcomes. Outputs could include exhibitions, installations, performances, digital works, workshops, or public events designed to engage diverse audiences and extend the reach and impact of these stories.
Programme Aims
To protect and celebrate Buckinghamshire’s community heritage by:
Uncovering and safeguarding oral histories that reflect and celebrate Buckinghamshire’s diverse communities, particularly community memories, cultural traditions and stories at risk of being lost.
Championing inclusive creative practice in working with oral histories and community memory, enabling under-represented or under-engaged audiences to shape, interpret, and share their heritage.
Fostering meaningful collaboration between heritage organisations, artists, and communities.
Building skills and confidence in cross-sector partnership working to strengthen sustainable, long-term relationships.
Who Can Apply
We welcome applications from arts, heritage, and culture organisations that want to explore stories and oral histories. Eligible applicants include formally constituted organisations and community-led heritage groups. To apply, groups must have:
A governing document (e.g., constitution)
A committee or Board
A bank account in the organisation’s name with two signatories
Applicants may apply either:
With a creative or heritage partner already confirmed, or
Without a partner, in which case the project team can help broker a suitable collaboration. Please reach out for a conversation to Guy: Guy@buckinghamshirecuture.org
All collaborations must work with a specific under-engaged audience group—people who currently have limited access to or participation in heritage activities due to factors such as geography, age, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, or cultural relevance.
What We’re Looking For
Successful proposals will:
Clearly explain which community memories, cultural traditions, and stories will be uncovered and why they matter locally. Priority will be given to stories at risk of being lost.
Focus on oral history, whether drawing on existing collections or generating new recordings.
Provide a compelling idea for creative collaboration with an artist or creative collective that empowers communities and brings local stories to life.
Identify a specific under-represented or under-engaged audience and a thoughtful plan for reaching and involving them in co-creation.
Evidence a commitment to inclusion, ethical practice, and community voice.
Demonstrate organisational capacity to host and support the project successfully.
Projects can be of any scale appropriate to your organisation and community and should be achievable within the available budget and timeframe.
Support Available
Assuming our funding application is successful, each selected partnership will receive:
Project grant: £2,000-£10,000 tbc (to cover artist fees, materials, production costs, engagement activities, and evaluation) for a 6-12 month delivery period.
Overarching Project Co-ordinator to oversee and assist with troubleshooting and engagement.
Training and professional support for both heritage and creative partners – likely to cover co-creation, inclusive practice, oral histories, ethics.
Access to a learning network of participating organisations and artists.
Opportunities for showcasing and shared dissemination at regional and national level.
Indicative Project Timeline
Call-out opens 30th March 2026
Expression of Interest deadline 30th April 2026
Funding application submission date Summer 2026
Decision-making period 8 weeks
Project delivery period Autumn 2026-Summer 2028 tbc
Completed Expression of Interest forms should be returned to Guy: Guy@buckinghamshireculture.org by 9am, 30th April 2026.
Contact Details
If you have questions about this invitation, wish to discuss your project with a team member, or need help to find the right partner, please reach out to Guy: Guy@buckinghamshireculture.org
Please contact us if you require this information in alternative formats.
We are happy to accept applications through alternative formats suited to your needs including a film (no longer than 10 minutes) or an audio recording (no longer than 10 minutes).
Bucks Culture welcomes the Arts Council England review from Baroness Margaret Hodge. We are delighted that the suggestion we made in response to the consultation, to devolve funds to local and regional decision making boards, has been put forward. We believe this will ensure that investment in Buckinghamshire is effectively distributed to artists and cultural organisations across the county. We also support the recommendation that Councils should produce a Cultural Plan and note that Buckinghamshire has one which Bucks Culture is engaged in delivering.
We look forward to the response from central Government and exploring how we can support those recommendations that are adopted, and resulting plans, as they are implemented.
We are inviting organisations and creatives across Buckinghamshire to join an online meeting to explore our proposal for Stories 2, an innovative developmental partnership that explores co-creation as a way to share local stories through creativity. Building on the success of Together We Buildbut continuing to explore creative approaches to stories and storytelling, this model will see heritage and cultural organisations paired with artists and creative practitioners to explore and share local stories in fresh and engaging ways. This project does not yet have funding, but Bucks Culture is proposing to lead a partnership application for funding.
This project will support innovative collaborations that bring personal stories and community memories to life. Oral histories are a rich source of information and inspiration, and we want to put them at the heart of this project. The Stories 2 project will enable organisations to connect with, and amplify, hidden stories and under-engaged audiences through creative approaches to storytelling, participation, and interpretation. Projects may explore existing oral history collections or generate new recordings, co-creating outputs with communities that could include exhibitions, installations, performances, digital works, workshops, or public events.
Programme Aims
Reveal and celebrate diverse voices and lived experiences within our county through inclusive creative practice.
Engage under-represented or under-engaged audiences in shaping, interpreting, and sharing heritage.
Test creative methods for working with oral histories and community memory.
Foster meaningful collaboration between heritage organisations, artists and communities.
Build skills and confidence in cross-sector partnership working.
Who Can Apply
We are beginning this process by inviting anyone interested to attend an introductory meeting, where you can learn more and explore the idea with us. A formal application process will follow. We welcome applications from arts, heritage, and culture organisations that want to explore stories and oral histories. Each application must outline a collaboration for a heritage partner and a creative/artistic partner working together. Eligible applicants include formally constituted organisations and community-led heritage groups. To apply, groups must have:
A governing document (e.g., constitution)
A committee or Board
A bank account in the organisation’s name with two signatories
Applicants may apply either:
With a creative or heritage partner already confirmed, or
Without a partner, in which case the project team can help broker a suitable collaboration.
All collaborations must work with at least one under-engaged audience group—people who currently have limited access to or participation in heritage activities due to factors such as geography, age, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, or cultural relevance.
Support Available
Assuming our funding application is successful, each selected partnership will receive:
Project grant: £2,000-£10,000 tbc (to cover artist fees, materials, production costs, engagement activities, and evaluation) for a 6-12 month delivery period
Overarching Project Co-ordinator to keep everyone on track and assist with troubleshooting and engagement
Training and professional support for both heritage and creative partners – likely to cover co-creation, inclusive practice, oral histories, ethics
Access to a learning network of participating organisations and artists
Opportunities for showcasing and shared dissemination at regional and national level.
What We’re Looking For
Successful proposals will demonstrate:
A clear oral history focus, whether based on existing collections or new recordings.
A compelling idea for creative collaboration with an artist or collective that empowers communities and creates vibrant local storytelling.
Identification of a specific under-engaged audience and a thoughtful plan for reaching and involving them in co-creation.
Evidence of commitment to inclusion, ethical practice, and community voice.
Organisational capacity to host and support the project.
Projects can be of any scale appropriate to your organisation and community and should be achievable within the available budget and timeframe.
Indicative Project Timeline
Information/Exploration Meeting – 9th February 2026
Call-out opens – Spring 2026
Expression of Interest deadline – Late Spring 2026
Empowering Leaders in Buckinghamshire’s Creative & Cultural Sector
Creative Catalyst – Empowering Creative Leaders in Bucks We’re delighted to launch Creative Catalyst, a new mentoring programme for Buckinghamshire’s creative and cultural sector. The programme is designed to give emerging, established and aspiring leaders the space, tools and support they need to develop their skills, explore challenges, and build confidence in leading projects that make a real difference in local communities.
Over a period of 6–12 months, each participant will be paired with a mentor who can provide tailored, one-to-one guidance. This support will be aligned to a project or challenge the participant is facing, ensuring the mentoring is practical, relevant and directly useful. Alongside this, the programme will provide opportunities to take part in training sessions, networking events and peer support activities, helping participants to grow their professional connections and broaden their perspectives.
Creative Catalyst is open to those at all stages of leadership:
Emerging leaders keen to develop new skills and take on greater responsibility.
Existing leaders looking for fresh perspectives, guidance and support.
Aspiring leaders who may not yet identify as leaders but are motivated to grow and contribute to the sector.
The programme aims to strengthen leadership across Buckinghamshire’s arts, culture and heritage sector, with a focus on building capacity for inclusive, community-led practice. By fostering new connections and providing targeted support, it will empower participants to deliver projects that are accessible, impactful and forward-looking.
With the generous support of the Rothschild Foundation and Heart of Bucks, the costs of mentors, training and networking will be covered, with some additional travel support available.
We are seeking a highly organised, creative and collaborative Project Manager to lead the emerging High Wycombe Place Partnership Programme – a three-year initiative funded by Arts Council England, The Rothschild Foundation and Bucks Council. Running until March 2028, the programme aims to strengthen the local creative sector by building a more connected, inclusive and sustainable network that nurtures talent, supports creative leaders and increases opportunities for communities to engage with arts and culture in High Wycombe.
Bucks Culture will host this freelance opportunity, supporting the Place Partnership project in our role as project partner.
Deadline for applications: midnight, 17th September 2025.
For more information and details of how to apply, please see our full Job Description below.
Taking place 28th-31st August, Open Weekend is a celebration of creativity and an invitation to explore! Take a look at ourWhat’s On to find out what exciting activities are happening across Bucks.
You are invited to enjoy creative projects, performances, workshops, exhibitions and much more taking place across the county over a long weekend. This year’s events are themed to ‘stories and nature’ and aim to inspire you, your family and friends with experiences that bring creativity to life. From ancient folklore and myth to personal reflections and artistic expressions, stories shape the way we experience nature—and nature, in turn, fuels our imagination and creativity.
Over the four days of Open Weekend groups, organisations and creatives will hold over 50 events, so you can take part in activities from tree drawing workshops to dance exploring nature, wellbeing and personal stories, from photography to tell your story, to Opera combined with circus! From immersive music to growing and cooking, from woven stories using upcycled materials to snake stories and snake sculpture – there’s so much to discover. Events will take place across the county, some outside in nature and others inside.
If you have never been to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre you can take a tour to hear how its design is inspired by the Chiltern’s natural landscapes. Visit Discover Bucks Museum for a multi-sensory story time sharing how Bucks has changed from a watery world of undersea creatures to our modern landscape. Or take a trip to Wycombe Museum for a magical day of stories with a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ story trail, book-making, storytelling, face painting, and character games. And many of our Libraries are hosting a range of storytelling events and creative workshops.
Julius Weinberg, Buckinghamshire Culture Co-Chair said: “This year’s theme of stories and nature has inspired many great events, we are really excited to see so many groups, organisations and artists come forward to nurture the creativity of our county in this way. Thank you to everyone that has chosen to take part in Open Weekend 2025!“
Peter Brazier, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, added: “We are delighted to give our support to Buckinghamshire Culture’s Open Weekend once again this year. It is a fantastic way for everyone to get their creativity flowing and enjoy the wide range of fun activities on offer. With events and activities taking place across the whole county, I’d encourage everyone to take a look at the programme of events and get involved.”
Community Sculpture at Chiltern Open Air Museum
The idea behind Open Weekend is to showcase the range and breadth of creative opportunities available Buckinghamshire and to encourage as many people as possible to get involved, go somewhere new or try something new. Open Weekend is organised by Buckinghamshire Culture and supported by Buckinghamshire Council and the Rothschild Foundation.
Special thanks to our Communication Sponsors: Bucks Radio, Hiya Bucks, High Wycombe Life, My Wycombe.
Buckinghamshire Culture acts as an umbrella organisation for independently planned events by partner organisations. You can find out more and help spread the word by visiting: www.buckinghamshireculture.org, Instagram @bucks_culture and @BuckinghamshireCulture on Facebook – look for #BucksOpenWeekend and please like and re-share!
The Bucks Culture Creative Collaboration Conference took place in November 2024. The Conference successfully brought together professionals, creatives, and community leaders to explore the power of collaboration in the arts. Held at the newly opened Garsington Studios, the event provided an inspiring setting for insightful discussions, creative exploration, and networking opportunities. The conference aimed to facilitate meaningful conversations on the challenges and joys of creative collaboration while fostering new partnerships to enhance cultural engagement across Buckinghamshire.
The venue provided a beautiful backdrop to a cultural event that invited audiences to share insight into practice and disseminate learning to support future collaboration whilst providing opportunity for creative exploration.
The event was well attended and allowed Bucks Culture to work closely with new partners. The event supported sector-wide conversations surrounding the challenges and joys of creative collaboration both within the sector and beyond, and examined what it means to co-create with communities. The conference was established with the intention to connect, collaborate and co-create, an outcome we continue to pursue in the delivery of Buckinghamshire’s Cultural Strategy. Our 2024 event incorporated the inaugural Bucks Spark Award Ceremony, now set to be a regular feature of the cultural calendar.
We are proposing that future conferences be developed by a small group of key strategic partners working together to shape the format and programme the conference read more about the conference and feel free to send us your suggestions.
Process
Our partners, the board, the creative sector and the internal team were invited to make suggestions for the programme during board meetings, lead-in sector development sessions, and via the newsletter with a call for contributions surveyed online.
In addition to the open invitation for contributions the development of the programme was informed by feedback and evaluation from 2023, aiming to capture suggestions and implement changes to build a model better suited to the needs of audiences.
Three Words Analysis
This is what Chat GPT thought of responses to our ‘what 3 words describe your experience’ question.
The responses to the “three words” question reflect overwhelmingly positive experiences, with key themes emerging:
1. Inspiration & Engagement
Many attendees described the event as inspiring, engaging, thought-provoking, and enlightening. This suggests that the conference successfully delivered fresh perspectives and meaningful discussions, resonating with participants on both an intellectual and emotional level.
2. Networking & Connection
Words like welcoming, friendly, vibrant, connection, and collaborative indicate that the event fostered an inclusive and supportive environment for attendees to interact, share ideas, and build relationships.
3. Learning & Insight
Terms such as informative, insightful, educational, and paradigm-shifting reinforce the idea that the event provided valuable knowledge and challenged conventional ways of thinking.
4. Energy & Atmosphere
Words like dynamic, lively, fun, happy, and exciting suggest a positive and high-energy atmosphere, making the experience enjoyable beyond just the formal content.
5. Areas for Improvement
A few words, such as inaccessible, poorly attended, and tiring, indicate that some participants experienced challenges, possibly around accessibility, turnout, or event pacing. These could be key areas to address in future iterations.
Overall Takeaway
The conference was largely seen as an engaging and enriching experience, successfully fostering inspiration, connection, and learning.
Championing the work of women from the cultural sector and identifying how our work can support women from all walks of life as we work towards a more equitable society for all.
On the 6th of March Bucks Culture hosted the inaugural Women of Culture Event in celebration of International Women’s Day. The event, hosted at the Elgiva Theatre in Chesham, saw women and allies from across the sector come together to explore issues faced by women and champion the work of women in the cultural sector.
Audiences were treated to an interactive workshop led by Rosie Axon, Founder and Director at Chiltern Music Therapy and Betty Makharinsky Founder and CEO at Vache Baroque. This musical session explored the role of female voice in music, from the exclusion of female artists in the Baroque era to how the song, Bread and Roses, became the slogan of a political movement calling for safety, shelter and better living standards for all. Delegates were in full voice and the Forum at the Elgiva was filled with not only sunshine but the beautiful sound of an entirely female choir.
‘Love our new girl band’ gleefully expressed post workshop by an attendee, testament to the joy of participation. This could be the start of something new for Bucks.
We were delighted to hear from Vicky Hope-Walker, CEO at National Paralympic Heritage Trust (NPHT) and valued Board Member at Bucks Culture. Vicky spoke of her creative journey to CEO at NPHT. From training in creative arts to implementing socially inspired programmes as a freelancer leading to the eventual establishment of NPHT. Vicky’s presentation took us on a journey through time celebrating the great work and discoveries of female leaders from across Bucks and beyond.
From one inspirational leader to another, our very own, Lallie Davis, Director at Bucks Culture, shared howWomen of Cultureprovided opportunity to celebrate and champion women around the world alongside the cultural sector in Bucks, with a lens to the past, a moment in the present, and an eye to the future. The event provided time for networking and opportunity to come together to discuss the wider issues faced by women and the communities we work with.
Bucks Culture’s first International Women’s Day event is something Lallie has been intending to convene for a long time. International Women’s Day has been taking place annually on the 8th March since 1911. The day is dedicated to the advancement of women worldwide and belongs to all who care about women’s equality.
Sadly, in a rapidly changing World, women are often most affected by some of our most pressing issues: migration, poverty and climate change.
In the cultural sector we are in the amazing position to be working in an impactful way to implement change for the communities we work with. Our work in community settings serves to uncover inequalities, raise the profile of challenges, and bring people together armed with art and creativity as a tool for engagement and a catalyst for change.
Stories, music, visual arts, poetry, crafts and events, all play a role in reaching people and bringing them together. In difficult times, this role is of more importance than ever.
Notes on Accelerating Action from Lallie Davis, Director at Buckinghamshire Culture
This year’s International Women’s Day theme, accelerate action, is about how we can collectively Accelerate Action for women everywhere by addressing systemic barriers and biases women face in both personal and professional spheres.
Despite everything,
the World Economic Forum says full gender parity is still five generations away[i].
87% of men in paid work are full-time workers, whereas only 59% of women are in paid full-time work[ii].
Women are now 47% of those in employment but are still the majority of those in part-time employment[iii].
Employment rates of Bangladeshi and Pakistani women still lag behind that of other groups[iv].
The Gender pay gap has increased to 8.9% since 2018, while overall pay gap has decreased to 17.3%[v].
Women account for 69% of low earners, a proportion that has barely changed since 2018(70%) and that has remained constant since 2011[vi] (69%)
Women continue to encounter numerous challenges, including:
Health Inequities: Studies show that women’s pain is often dismissed, leading to delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatment. The Sun
Mental Health Struggles: Research indicates that young women experience higher levels of mental distress compared to their male counterparts, influenced by societal pressures and gender-based discrimination. The Australian
What steps can you take today to challenge gender biases?
How can you support the women in your community more effectively?
In what ways can your workplace promote a culture of inclusivity and equality?[vii]
Tree of Insight and Intentions
Attendees shared thoughts and plans, writing a tag for our Tree of Insight and Intention sharing how to accommodate female audiences and pledges for the future to accelerate action!
As shared below
I pledge to actively praise and elevate my team of women, recognising their strengths, input and skill sets. I could not do my job without them.
I pledge to make space for more women to devise and lead on projects! + being aware of added barriers to intersectionality.
I do and will celebrate the women who came before us, paved the way for us to help and inspire the women who will follow us.
My intention is to promote fiction and non fiction written by women (esp from Bucks)when possible. Look at heritage of Bucks born writers e.g. Enid Blyton
I pledge to create more spaces for women to come together to be creative.
Seek out ways to make links with the local British Asian Community of Women.
Write and create more female characters to explore and present female perspectives. Continuing to connect with and champion female causes.
I pledge to promote and embrace female artists.
Continuing my recent exhibition work concerning, Childhood Lost, by sponsoring a young female street child in Kolkata.
I pledge to learn more about women’s businesses locally that I can promote.
Providing community, supportive inclusive and fun activities.
We are delighted to connect with and hear from women working across Buckinghamshire, working in collaboration to reach communities, support each other’s endeavours and ensure that women’s issues are included in our work and programmes.
Please do get in touch with ideas for future programmes, recommend speakers and to keep us up to date with your work.
We are looking for an Administrator to join our small team. This is a role for someone with good organisational skills and who enjoys helping to make events and projects happen. It would be a good role for some one just starting out in the cultural sector, someone returning to work, or someone looking to be a vital part of a small creative team.
The Administrator will support essential elements of Bucks Culture’s business, including operations, finance, data collection and impact measurement, sector support and projects delivery. We support flexible working and are open to how the hours are delivered but will require some time at the beginning of each week to be spent at our office within Buckinghamshire New University’s High Wycombe campus.
As well as assisting with the day to day running of the charity, this role will champion Bucks Culture, ensuring excellent communication with partners and potential partners, raising the charity’s profile and reach.
To apply, please start by reading through the Administrator Job Description:
A covering statement sharing what you would bring to the role and how your skills and experience would benefit Buckinghamshire Culture
Your CV
You may apply in writing (covering statement to be no more than 2 A4 sides) or by sharing a video (no longer than 10 minutes) or audio recording (no longer than 10 minutes) covering all of these points.
Interviews will take place 28th and 29th April.
Please feel free to contact the Director (Lallie@buckinghamshireculture.org) if you would like to discuss this opportunity before applying.
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