A group of Wycombe and Chilterns residents have been meeting throughout 2025, aiming to make a difference in the area and create communities.
The Community and Climate Cafe, in its current form, got together in February 2025 and has seen 85 people attend meetings in the year.
Posters for its events that include games, workshops, film nights, walks and discussions, feature a badge saying ‘Love our Wycombe’ and ‘Love our world’.
They describe themselves as ‘a monthly gathering of local individuals who recognise the importance and delight of creating communities’.
Community and Climate Cafe (Image: Supplied)
A member of the team has spoken out about how the group has stopped her from feeling alone in trying to make a difference in the town.
Community and Climate Cafe member, Marion Lyon, from Wycombe, explained that meeting other residents had inspired her.
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She said: “It’s great when you can do something yourself and having that engagement is part of it.
“But also it’s knowing that you’re part of something bigger.
“I think particularly if you’re the only person in your family or your workplace that perhaps trying to do your bit, it feels like it maybe isn’t worthwhile.
“And yet by knowing that there are other people doing other things in their places, I think it gives you that encouragement that everybody’s bit engages another whole group of people.
“We did actually have a session earlier in the year, which was called Keeping the Hope Alive.”
Community and Climate Cafe (Image: Supplied)
She explained that meetings, held on the fourth Thursday evening of each month at Patch in High Wycombe, have allowed her to connect with others.
Marion described how worrying about the environment and a local area can be isolating, but said that the community has helped her.
She said: “I think often people feel like they don’t know what’s happening and they think nothing’s happening.
“Oe of the big things that we’ve really tried to do with Community and Climate Cafe is share what’s going on.”
She added: “You find that actually loads of people are interested, but they’re just doing their own little bits in their own area.
“So I think for me, it’s been really inspiring.
“It’s just great to meet different people and hear their stories and just made lots of different connections with people around the town.”
Community and Climate Cafe (Image: Supplied)
Marion explained that the people have their own ideas about High Wycombe, depending on where they live.
Saying she is often in The Rye, Kingsmead and Keep Hill Woods, so is very aware of the green space in town, but that speaking to others had been eye-opening about how anti-social behaviour and fly tipping impacts other areas.
In 2025, the Free Press reported on a crisis on Wycombe’s High Street, with residents calling it neglected, dirty, and depressing.
Dozens of locals told of their frustration and sadness over what they see as years of decline.
An investigation in March had questioned whether the area has a ‘fly-tipping and litter problem’.
Residents had called for local pride and said areas were becoming a ‘full dump’.
Community and Climate Cafe (Image: Supplied)
Marion said that she would love to ‘showcase the breadth of the town’ and that there are lots of things and places to appreciate.
Looking forward to 2026, the group has plans for walks to physically see different angles of Wycombe and to hear from Bucks resident Jon Mason, a naturalist and geographer, also known as ‘theearlybirder’ with over 25,000 followers on Instagram.
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Marion said: “We don’t have to wait for someone else to do things.
“Obviously there are things that the government needs to do at a national level, there are things that the council needs to do.
“But actually waiting for other people to respond is a very negative way of looking at things.
“If we can do small things ourselves, whether it’s in neighbourhoods or wider in the town, the Chiltern Ranges are a great example of a way that it’s really easy to get involved in something much bigger than you could possibly do on your own.
“I think seeing that and noticing where there are other opportunities.”
She added: “But I think it is that coming together and seeing that any idea you’ve got, you can find other people who might well come along with you and help it move from being an idea into actually being an action.”
Information and contact details for The Community and Climate Cafe can be found on the Thames Valley mycelium map of environmental groups.