The Chiltern Society

Who we are

We care for the Chilterns. We are passionate about protecting the natural beauty, cultural heritage, and environmental sustainability of the Chilterns. Our work is rooted in:

Celebrating the Chilterns - helping people connect with, and therefore protect, the natural environment and cultural heritage of the Chilterns; encouraging more people to join in the diverse range of activities they can enjoy in the area.

Campaigning - being the voice for everyone concerned about the long-term sustainability of the natural and built environment in the Chilterns, using our expertise and partnership to make a real difference on a national level.

Conserving and enhancing - giving everyone, no matter where they live or their background, the opportunity to be involved in activities that sustain and enhance the unique beauty and character of the Chilterns.

For 60 years, the Chiltern Society has been there to help people improve their part of the Chilterns. With our volunteers, members, and partners, we are tackling some of the most serious threats to the countryside – from climate change, to overbearing development and disappearing green spaces and wildlife – to care for this unique landscape.

The people of the Chilterns are at the heart of our work. Through partnerships with national and local stakeholders, we enable individuals and communities to make a difference on their own doorsteps, and through this, take positive action for the Chiltern’s environment. We:

• maintain and restore the 2,200 miles of paths and bridleways that crisscross the Chilterns
• are on the ground in the area’s green and blue places managing woodland, clearing streams, and creating homes for wildlife
• fight the worst excesses of building and infrastructure projects and champion the best of sustainable development
• promote the heritage of the Chilterns through our annual Heritage Festival, and offer hundreds of walks, cycle rides and events throughout the year.

Our culture and values

At the Chiltern Society we believe in being:

• Collaborative by building effective and impactful partnerships both internally and externally. We will ensure we have clear agreements with those we work with, formalised when appropriate.
• Forward Looking by continuously looking to improve our people, processes and services. We will build on our past and embrace change and challenges ahead as an ever-evolving organisation.
• Open and Transparent by listening and openly sharing our ideas. We encourage people to communicate openly, sharing both our failures and successes.
• Inclusive by challenging ourselves to create ways of encouraging diversity of age, gender, ethnicity, thinking, physical ability, and socio-economic grouping. We will look to guard against unconscious biases, preferences and assumptions.
• Respectful and Trustworthy. We aim to be respectful and trustworthy to all our stakeholders: public, members, volunteers, supporters, partners and colleagues.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

We are proud to be part of a changing and diverse Chilterns community and strongly encourage people of every race, orientation, age, gender, sex, religion, origin, and ability to apply. Non-graduates are welcome and we offer a wide range of flexible working options including compressed hours, different start and finish times and working from home.