Great Missenden is an affluent village of some 2,000 residents in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, located in the heart of The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has been described as one of the best villages in which to raise a family in the UK. The neighbouring village of Prestwood has some 8,000 residents and shares many facilities as the same parish council serves them both.
Great Missenden Lighthouse Great Missenden is the founder Lighthouse which grew out of an earlier children’s holiday club. LHGM started in 1987 when three Christians from different local churches, became convinced that God was calling them to work ecumenically with children and young people from the area during the school summer holiday in tents on the Bury Field. A team was formed, with helpers from most of the local churches, under the guidance of the 'Towards Unity Group' - the predecessor of 'Churches Together'. A small amount of money was raised by local churches to hire a single marquee for the week, which was put up on the local recreation ground.
Over the years the number of children attending Lighthouse steadily increased until we had the wonderful ‘problem’ presented by so many children. After praying about it, the committee decided to look for other nearby locations, which might be willing to run another Lighthouse event in the same week. Happily, a group of people in Hazlemere responded, and so in 2000 Lighthouse Hazlemere was planted followed in 2002 by Lighthouse Princes Risborough and Lighthouse Burnham.
LHGM has continued each year, as still more Lighthouses have been planted. It now costs around £50,000 each year, which is mainly raised from voluntary parental contributions and has around 800 children attending.
