By Michael Rowan
Chair of the Friends of Lowndes Park
TWO weeks ago Chesham Town centre was filled with young people, meeting friends, standing in groups and almost all heading to the park. And yes, I dare say that some were spitting and swearing and being a fraction loud.
There was nothing like this in my day (late 60s early 70's) we had to manage with a table tennis table and a record player from which we graduated to pubs and clubs, usually before it was strictly legal.
I can remember meeting outside with groups of friends but cannot remember spitting or swearing, although that may be more to do with selective memory, from a time in which I was a model citizen bent on helping old ladies across the street and returning my library books on time.
So I can only admire and offer my congratulations to the organisers of the recent rave in the park, for producing a well managed, well stewarded, and clearly appealing event.
Yes, there were things that we could learn from, and improve on next year, but then apart from my perfect youth, where I did everything perfectly from the word go (just don't ask my parents to corroborate) who can't learn and improve? I say next year because I for one will be begging the organisers to come back and put on another excellent day for youth and begging the council to give it permission.
I visited the event in the early afternoon and again for a couple of hours towards the end, as I wanted to see for myself rather than rely on others to form my view.
I am told 500 young people visited the event, although I would put the figure closer to a 1000, mostly laughing and getting together with friends, and yes, enjoying themselves. I saw lots of people drinking alcohol and although I didn't see it myself would guess that some drank more than they should.
Fortunately as a perfect person this has never happened to me (again please don't check with family or friends). I also saw young people trying to balance litter on top of an over flowing litter bins, going out of their way to do so, I saw self policing when one young boy climbed on top of portable toilets and was admonished by some older girls until he climbed back down. And yes I saw young people en masse being perfectly well behaved!
I saw very young people perhaps, eight or nine years old, standing on the periphery finding out what it was like to be "cool", not quite in the midst, but joining in at their own level.
I saw families sitting around as children made sorties into the various activities and then returning back to their families. I heard the lead singer of one of the band apologise for his bad language as he suddenly realised that he was not at Glastonbury or Woodstock but here in Lowndes Park in Chesham.
The park, if it belongs to anyone, belongs to all of us. Dog walkers, bowlers, boating enthusiasts, families with young children and families without children, the young and the old, The beauty of the park is that it can be all things to all people, admittedly not on the same day. Those of us that enjoyed the Medieval Mayhem also had a great day but how much of Chesham's Youth did we see?
My congratulations also to the Town Council or whoever it was that sanctioned the event. It is so much easier to say no, and not to take a chance on a new event, especially one run by youth.
As I said at the outset there was nothing like it in my day, but I don't wear this mantra as a badge of pride. I would have loved to have had an event like this in my local park when I was young. In fact, I quite like having an event like this now in my local park. Now where did I put those flares?
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