Welcome to our new website

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The Friends of Lowndes park is a 100% voluntary group. All the money we raise goes to improving the park. But some is held back to help us let you know who we are and what we do. After all, if we don’t let you know our success stories and tell you about our future plans, we’d cease to exist and never raise the funds we so desperately need. So, in 2017/18 we embarked on a brand refresh. We commissioned this new website from a Chesham company and created a new brand and logo.

We are all about community, and supporting Chesham’s beautiful park. Have a look around our website to see what we’ve been up to, what our plans are, or just to see some beautiful images kindly supplied by some of the park’s many fans.

We now have a strategic plan to reach out to you more, involve you in our work and continue to listen to your views on how we can make the park better now, and for future generations.

We’d love to hear from you and for you to get involved. Do you have ideas about how the park could be improved? Then check out our Lowndes Park Masterplan project.

Would you like to join a working party? Please use our contact form.

There is so much more Lowndes Park could offer Chesham’s residents. But we need your voice.

So, please join us. Become a member or make a donation. Sign up to our newsletter and get involved.

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What does the Council do and what does FOLP do?

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Who’s really in charge of the park and it’s future?

Lowndes Park is managed by Chesham Town Council. The management of the park is guided by a Management Plan written by the Council’s Policy and Projects Officer in consultation with the Town Clerk, Parks and Premises Manager and the Friends of Lowndes Park.

The Friends of Lowndes Park is a voluntary community group designed to protect and improve the park now, and for future generations. It raises money to improve the park, organises working parties and works a liaison between the people of Chesham and the Council.
The day-to-day implementation of the park plan is the responsibility of the Parks and Premises Manager and the majority of the work is undertaken by the Parks and Premises team, with additional work undertaken by contractors and volunteer groups, such as the Friends of Lowndes Park.

Administration is performed by the Council’s administrative officers, who are based at the Town Hall.

The management of the park is influenced by feedback from community groups, the general public and guidance from experts.
The Parks and Premises team members have undergone a broad range of training, including horticultural practice, health and safety, First Aid, IT, maintenance, equipment operation and customer care.

As a result, the work of the Parks and Premises department is a flexible combination of scheduled tasks (e.g. weekly bin emptying), seasonal tasks (like mowing) and reactive tasks (such as repairing play equipment). The Parks and Premises Department is based in the Depot in Lowndes Park which places them ideally to have a frequent and visible presence in the park. However, the department is responsible for a number of additional open spaces and the department’s man hours are spread across all sites. On average, the team spends 32 hours per week in Lowndes Park.
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Scottowes Pond needs a clean up

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Help! The pond is dying and needs your help!

Skottowes Pond was dug out in the early 18th Century and it’s in desperate need of cleaning up. The pond is approximately 120m long and 40m at its widest point, with concrete edging and a path running around its entire edge. Water is supplied by a borehole, licensed by the Environment Agency, which feeds the pond’s fountain. The pond water feeds into the the River Chess

The problem:

  • The run-off from the main road through Chesham, running adjacent to the pond, means the pond has been contaminated with what is now considered toxic waste. This silt could be removed, but the costs are stratospheric. We are looking into alternatives to cover the silt.
  • Water levels in the pond have lowered due to the silting and there is a lack of aquatic vegetation for wildlife.
  • The pond is overly dominated with domestic geese that have been abandoned in the park. In a recent survey of the park, over 60% of respondents said that the wildfowl populations were too high. In consultation with the Friends of Lowndes Park, park users referred to the fact that they didn’t eat lunch near the pond as they were harassed by the geese and some parents didn’t take their children there because of the proliferation of goose excrement.
  • The island has been eroded by overuse caused by the proliferation of mostly domestic fowl.
  • There is little or no aquatic planting to encourage wildlife.
  • The path around the pond is deteriorating and is in need of repair. The footpath along the western side of the pond is narrow and this can make it difficult for people to pass other path users.

Our Plans:

We are encouraging the Council to work with us to follow the masterplan and progress the renovation of Skottowes Pond. We will be applying for grants and raise donations for the work. There is also a policy for waterfowl management that has been drafted by the Council and will be developed in consultation with the public.

In addition we’d love to:

  • Improve access around the pond
  • Suppress the silt
  • Establish an area of aquatic planting to encourage greater biodiversity in the pond area
  • Stabilise the island, replant and create more foliage cover

If you can help, please donate or get involved.
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What’s going on with the Performance space steps?

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Well, first things first we should state that a dedicated bandstand or performance space was never properly designed in Lowndes Park. (Check out the history of the park to see how it was actually a private garden!)

In the 1920s, after Chesham District Council leased the lower park as a public recreation ground, a circular paved area with a rose arbour was ;