In March 2010 the Friends of Chislehurst and Walden Recreation Grounds, supported by Bromley Council, was formally set up.  A group of local volunteers, they were keen to improve facilities and maintenance of the park which was looking rather neglected and tired in places. The first activity of the Friends was to help the scouts to secure planning permission for the build of their headquarters in the corner of Chislehurst Recreation Ground at that time occupied by a very tired playground, tucked a little out of sight and unwelcoming.  To secure this, the Friends worked with Bromley Council and with the Chislehurst Society (who made a substantial donation) to design and build a new children's playground in the area previously mostly left as uncut grass.  On 30th May 2011 the playground was formally opened by the May Queen of Chislehurst.  

The Friends subsequently raised grant funding and donations to install a circular tree seat around a mature oak in the middle of the playground, and to add to the range of play facilities by including more equipment suitable for younger children.

During January 2011, a new looped path with a bridge access was created in a corner of Chislehurst Rec.

24th September 2011 - FOCRG hosted the first ever Chislehurst Rocks, a free music festival and family fun day in Chislehurst Rec as part of the Chislehurst Festival organised by The Chislehurst Society. The event has gone on to be an annual event, now held in Walden Recreation Grounds.

On 9 April 2012, having secured grant funding, FOCRG added a popular fitness trail to the playground, kindly funded by Community Spaces.

2013 saw the first of drainage works to Chislehurst Rec.  In the process, a significant number of bottles manufactured by the long since closed Chislehurst Mineral Water Company of Park Road were uncovered. 

In July 2013, Will Lee created a much loved masterpiece in Whytes Wood.  Taking his chainsaw to an oak close to the Red Hill School boundary that had been felled following a lightning strike many years before, he transformed the enormous trunk over 1 1/2 days into the Boating Bears.  

After a few delays, 2014 saw the completion of the build of the scout hq with a grand opening in July.

In 2016:

• February - Will Lee returned to the Rec to create a fairy castle and bear, owl and other tree carvings in the main playground.

• Significant works were undertaken to further improve the drainage of Chislehurst Recreation Ground following a very wet Winter and Spring that had left the ground often under water or boggy.

• In September 2016, the Friends had a launch party for a new wheelchair accessible roundabout in the playground attended by students from Marjorie McClure School, Chislehurst. This all-ability roundabout was kindly funded by the People's Postcode lottery, Chislehurst Playing Fields Association and the Chislehurst Society.

• The Friends submitted an application to Bromley Council for both recreation grounds and woodlands to be designated Local Green Space and were pleased to see this designation confirmed in the draft Local Plan published at the end of 2016.

In 2017:

• February - Pavilion Build Started

• March - Chislehurst 5th Cubs joined us to work on the shade garden area. Hedgehog and bug hotel habitat area established

• June - Chislehurst Rocks – now with 2 stages

2018:

• March - Empress Drive Entrance re-landscaped by us and idVerde with a rockery and wildflowers

• April - Bat Walk with Invicta Cubs

• June - Chislehurst Rocks

• October - Opening of new pavilion by FC Elmstead. 

• October - Launch of new drinking water fountain funded by FOCRG

• November - 1250 empty plastic bottles upcycled into Remembrance Day poppies

• December - Gingerbread House Event with Invicta Scout Group

 2019

• January Work to improve Agnes Whyte bird Sanctuary by outside contractor funded by grant from Chislehurst Society

• February Half Term Story Telling and craft activities at the Roost

• April - Spruce up for Spring event to clean playground equipment

• May - Gardening Club started and was a success from the beginning

• June 22 - Chislehurst Rocks – back in Chislehurst Rec. The focus was on inclusivity with wheelchair access, lanyards for invisible disabilities, disability friendly toilets and sensory rooms

• September - London in Bloom “Outstanding” 92/100 points

• November - The Gardening Group built a garden Shed in Invicta Scout ground to house their growing amount of equipment

• November - Green Flag retained

• December - Gingerbread House event with Invicta Scout Group

2020

• January - “FOCRG Learn To Go Green” newsletter launched

• January Recyclable cups and water bottles made available to purchase. Profits are all plowed back into the maintaining the Rec.

• March - Our 10th birthday party

• March - 4 Dog poo bag dispensers made by FOCRG put up in Chislehurst and Walden Rec. They are filled by volunteers daily.

• April - Chislehurst Bear Hunt. Place a teddy in the window, for families to spot on their one daily outing during COVID-19 lockdown

• May - Bee corridor established in Walden Rec. to help our pollinators

• May - Connie the COVID snake. Children painted rocks which were collected and turned into a beautiful 7 metres long snake, now situated in the scouts compound

• June - Table Tennis tables installed. With a grant from the Chislehurst Playing Field Association we finally managed to purchase and install 2 table tennis tables in Chislehurst Rec.

• August - Litter Hero Competition. Children drawings showing how litter impacts wildlife and the environment. Won by Poppy

• November - Drainage work by idVerde by Wythes woods. Ditches were cleared and new pipes were laid

2021

• January - Volunteers dug out the ditch by Whytes woods

• January - Wheelchair friendly picnic table installed. The table was funded by Ecclesiastical Movement for Good £1000 award which we entered and won

• February - Chislehurst Cheer Trail. Participants decorated their windows with tissue paper art. We created a map for families to follow to see the creations in the evenings during the 2nd lockdown

• March - New bridge over the ditch into Whytes woods installed by idVerde

• March - Cracking Easter Recycling Creations. Recycling competition for the whole family

• April - Playground re-turfed and wildflower seeds scattered

• May - 4 benches and one wheelchair picnic bench installed in Walden and Chislehurst Rec. Money raised with a grant from Chislehurst Society

• June - Great British Spring Clean. Volunteers helped us litter picking both recs and Whytes woods

• June - Hedgehog highway established in Chislehurst Rec. by the scouts compound

• July - New lectern installed by the newly created raised beds in the Shade garden

• September - The Big (Pre-Loved) book Bonanza. The Gardening Club selling pre-loved books to raise funds towards improving the Rec.

• September - The Gardening Club won 3 awards for Chislehurst Rec. London In Bloom “Outstanding” 98/100 points, Environmental Awards “Bronze”, Continues Outstanding Award

• November - The long awaited community bench - a covered seating area - was finally installed. The bench, costing £13,000, was funded by The Postcode Lottery.

• December - Our annual Build a Ginger Bread House event was back after being cancelled last year due to COVID.

• December - Work on the new natural play are in Whyte’s Woods commenced.

2022

• February - Work in the bird sanctuary

• March - Biodiversity Group dug out the ditch in Chislehurst Rec.

• April - Planted a living willow “crown” in the children’s playground to celebrate the Queens platinum jubilee

• May - Jubilee Picnic in the Park

• Return of Chislehurst Rock after COVIDs

• Added new bears to Chislehurst Rec and Whyte’s woods

2023

• Ticket office added to the toddler area of the playground

• Biodiversity and Environmental Group established

• Retained our Green Flag for the 5th year

• Achieved Outstanding in the London in Bloom It’s Your Neighbourhood category and a Silver in their Environmental Challenge.

• The Gardening Club won first prize in the Community Gardening Class of Bromley in Bloom

• Mia’s Pawfect Dog Day event