FEATURES: The Town Mayor’s Welcome...3, Chesham Town Councillors...5, Chesham Town Council...9, Chesham Town Hall...11, Chesham: A Market Town...13,The Elgiva Theatre

The Elgiva Theatre

Nestled in a valley in the Chiltern Hills beats the heart of the arts in Buckinghamshire – The Elgiva.

Named after an Anglo-Saxon queen, The Elgiva is a 300 seated / 400 standing capacity theatre that boasts an exciting and wide-ranging programme of professional and amateur productions, including top comedy acts, musicals, ballet/dance, classical, pop and rock music concerts, a professional pantomime and eclectic range of movies (including being the home of Chiltern Film Society).

But The Elgiva is far more than a stage; the venue is home to art exhibitions, workshops and community classes for all ages. Our onsite café, Café Encore, serves a wide range of hot and cold beverages, delicious lunches, homemade cakes and, frankly, some of the most delicious soups known to man. In the evening, you can enjoy a drink (soft, or slightly stronger) at our wellstocked theatre bar, and our kiosk sells snacks, popcorn and scrumptious ice cream. If you are signed up to the Hopt App, we can even bring your refreshment to your seat in the auditorium.

The theatre is also available for hire for public and private events such as weddings and conferences, and has several flexible spaces, free Wi-Fi and a pay-anddisplay car park right outside. The town of Chesham is well served by buses, and the theatre is just a few minutes’ walk from Chesham Tube on the Metropolitan Line.

Visitors to our theatre might not be aware, but they will benefit from Dolby Digital cinema, an all-LED house rig, Vista by Chroma-Q lighting and next generation Vista 3 media control system which includes the latest Vista EX control surface, plus a Vista MV to use as an extra playback wing. And we have curtains that swish!

Our staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and we have a committed group of volunteers who are passionate about bringing our programme of events to life. The Elgiva is committed to accessibility, to its thriving community and to providing a programme with something for everyone. We take our position as a community hub very seriously and as well as bringing the performing arts to Amersham and Chesham, it is our hope that there will truly be something for everyone to enjoy and participate in – Elgiva For Everyone.

Please do visit our website (elgiva.com) to find out more about what we do, who we are and what we’re up to. We’re also on all the social channels, sharing our news and photos and showcasing our events. We’d love to welcome you to our theatre whether it’s for a coffee, a film, a show, a workshop, an exhibition, a community event... whatever you stop in for, we’ll be looking forward to it!

Chesham Cemetery

Chesham Cemetery has been serving the community since 1858. It is a place for burials and interments of ashes for people of all faiths and none. As well as offering a place for people to visit the graves of their loved ones, it serves the wider community as a large, green space in town where people can take exercise, sit in quiet contemplation and enjoy the abundant wildlife.

The town council teamed up with the Chiltern Rangers and the Friends of Chesham Cemetery to make improvements for both visitors and wildlife. The Chiltern Rangers is a Community Interest Company that specialises in working with communities to provide practical habitat management in Buckinghamshire. Whilst our plans had to be modified because of the pandemic, when Lockdown began to ease in April 2021, a small team of experts and volunteers was able to make space for art and nature.

In consultation with the council, Friends group and wider public, the Rangers created designs for five parts of the cemetery. Regular Rangers volunteers, local families and volunteers from the Friends of Chesham Cemetery and Chesham in Bloom were all able to take part in the practical work. A new contemplation area was created at the top of the cemetery. Small ornamental cherry trees now stand in planters made from reclaimed wood. Pollinator plugs have been planted alongside the cherries to encourage insect visitors, and wildflower seed has been scattered as well. A little further down the slope, a long strip of ground next to a path has been prepared to create a display of wildflowers that will provide a splash of summer colour.

For a number of years, the Friends have managed a small area of 19th century graves near the Chapel for wildflowers. Success has been limited, as the area was quite shady. But after the neighbouring landowner removed a number of trees, this area is now much lighter, enabling us to try this area for wildflowers once again.

Decorated nest boxes have been added to the Avenue of Limes and a bird-feeding station has been created near the Friends of Chesham Cemetery’s Exhibition Centre by the Bellingdon Road entrance.

This work was made possible by funding from the Local Area Forum (now the Chesham & Villages Community Board) and the Friends of Chesham Cemetery. And the Friends will continue to manage these areas for everyone to enjoy. If you spot butterflies, bees, birds or any other wildlife enjoying the habitats in the cemetery, we’d love to hear from you. You could post photos to the council’s Facebook page (@CheshamTownCouncil) or Twitter account (@CheshamCounci) for everyone to enjoy.