Our Story
A note from Peter Edwards, Founder and Chair of Trustees
My name is Peter Edwards. I founded what is now Impact Buckingham at the end of 2025, while I was landlord of The Mitre. Many of you will also know me from our family business, Edwards Surfacing, in Great Horwood. I grew up here, went to school at The Royal Latin, and I’ve always held the belief that a town like ours looks after its own.
A couple of years ago, I was listening to a radio report about the difficulties families were facing during the festive season. It struck a nerve. While we were planning festive pints and parties at the pub, neighbours just streets away — people whose children go to school with our children — were dreading the cost of Christmas Day.
I decided The Mitre had to do something.
The idea started simply: send out a few hampers to locals who needed a boost. But once word got out, it snowballed. Local business leaders stepped up to pledge their support, and the regulars at The Mitre rallied round — they didn’t just donate money, they brought in mince pies and chocolates and gave up their evenings to help build and deliver the boxes.
In December 2025, we registered the charity with the Charity Commission and delivered our first festive campaign within four weeks.
Since then, the charity has grown beyond its original home at the pub. We’re now operating independently as Impact Buckingham — the same mission, the same community, the same promise that every pound donated goes directly to local families. The pub gave us our start; the community keeps us going.
