“There is room for everyone in Eco Church, we all have a part to play.” The Eco Diocese award scheme builds on the Eco Church programme by requiring dioceses to fulfil targets for the number of registered and awarded churches and integrate creation care across the diocese at a policy and practical level. Hear from Polly Eaton as she reflects on her first six months as our Eco Diocese Officer:  ‘It has been fantastic to discover what’s happening across dioceses – I’ve seen many examples of good practice and been encouraged by the range of projects and initiatives. Since I started, we have seen eight more Church of England dioceses gain their bronze Eco Diocese award, bringing the total to 28 out of the 42 dioceses in England and Wales. I attended the Church of England Net Zero Carbon Conference a few weeks ago and was so impressed by the breadth of skills and level of knowledge in the room. What struck me was how essential each one of us is to the task of caring for creation. We need people with technical knowledge about heat pumps and solar panels, we need people who can connect with children and meet …

Last autumn marked a significant milestone for Eco Church as we celebrated the achievement of 2,000 awarded churches since the program’s launch in 2016. Just one year on, we have now surpassed 3,000 awarded churches! Read the full article on the A Rocha UK website here.    

Delyth Higgins took on the newly created role of Eco Church Officer for Wales in 2022 – an exciting development for A Rocha UK.  Here, Delyth updates on Eco Churches in Wales after her first 18 months: “My role is to promote Eco Church in my nation and encourage greater depth of engagement in the programme from those who are already involved. I thank God for the progress we have been able to make working with many others. There are now around 400 churches in Wales, across all denominations, registered as Eco Churches. The past few months, however, have seen an increase in the level of engagement with several more silver awards (there are now 41), the URC’s National Synod of Wales earning its bronze Eco Synod award, and the first gold Eco Church award in Wales. St Peter’s Church, Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, near Ruthin, won that accolade within the last month.” Hear more from Delyth in the full article on the A Rocha UK website here.    

Polly, who is passionate about bees, involved in a ‘stop using harmful pesticides’ campaign as part of her local Justice and Peace Group.   We are delighted to welcome a new member to the A Rocha UK churches team in the newly created role of Eco Diocese Officer. Whilst Polly has recently started in her role, she is not totally new to Eco Church: “Since moving to Hertfordshire seven years ago, I’ve been worshipping at High Street Baptist Church in Tring. During this time the church gained a gold Eco Church award and I’ve enjoyed being part of a church that strives to ‘do’ creation care. Prior to this I lived in West Africa and saw first-hand the effects of the climate crisis on rural communities. I strongly believe that the environmental catastrophe we face is a justice issue and the church has a vital role to play. I think one of the ways to approach this challenge is to build our Eco Church community and encourage and learn from one another. I’m really looking forward to getting to know people within the diocese and supporting them as they progress with Eco Diocese.” We are grateful to the Church of England for …

 The Labyrinth contemplation area.   St Peter’s Church in Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, near Ruthin and part of the St. Asaph Diocese, has become the first church in Wales to achieve their Gold Eco-Church Award.  As part of their work towards a gold award, they have developed the churchyard into a welcoming green space to support wildlife and biodiversity.  They encourage native wildlife by providing bird boxes, a bug hotel, sowing wildflower seeds, and a labyrinth area with a seat and space for quiet contemplation. The church is a very popular spot for the start and end of walks in the area, and visitors can get a Fairtrade coffee inside. The ‘Capel Beuno’ area is popular amongst the youngsters of the church and wider community, where they meet regularly around the fire pit, sitting on seats recycled from wood pallets. Fallen trees have been crafted into two altar tables used for outside services. One of the Vicars at  St Peter’s, Father Huw Bryant, shared, “We are delighted to have achieved this award and become the first in Wales. We have been working for several years towards this award, not for its own sake, but to embed good care for creation and …

Churchyards provide thousands of acres of green oases in communities across the country. Last month’s Churches Count on Nature (CCoN), in which A Rocha UK was a key partner, was a fantastic opportunity to help people understand their local environment and explore the contribution that churches can make to monitoring and conserving wildlife. Between 3 and 11 June, over 400 CCoN events took place across England and Wales, with churches hosting activities to record the mammals, birds, wildflowers, insects, and fungi in their outdoor spaces. Many also used CCoN as an opportunity to reach out to their community and extended their activities to include photography competitions, history talks and picnics. You can see some great photos of a variety of events here.  Llanidan Church in Brynsiencyn on Anglesey started their event with a service that focused on the environment and caring for their churchyard.  After an opportunity to browse a selection of relevant books and leaflets over a cuppa, they got counting!  Over 30 people took part, and the lists were compiled not only in Welsh and English but French too, as there was a Breton gentleman taking part! Almost 80 species of wildflowers were identified, as well as insects …

It was a delight to work in partnership with the Union of Welsh Independent Churches at the National Urdd Eisteddfod recently, where a 100-year-old blanket was given a new lease of life! A fantastic patchwork quilt will be crafted together, decorated with hundreds of individual messages and pictures written and drawn from the young people of Wales. They expressed their desires and fears about tackling the future of the planet and the nature crisis. Watch the video, which features our Eco Church Officer for Wales, Delyth here. The video is recorded in Welsh. Children preparing their Eco messages Snapshot of blanket filled with messages and drawings  

A Rocha UK are hosting several ‘Act for Nature’ days on our reserves and in collaboration with Partners in Action and Eco Churches. Join us for practical conservation activities for individuals and churches which are relevant to both small and larger patches of land. Come along to learn and share your own experiences of campaigning for nature – and to ‘speak up’ together though a simple action. And each event will be a great opportunity to meet and share a fun day with other A Rocha UK supporters in the region, as well as A Rocha UK staff and volunteers. The remaining events for this year include: – Wolf Fields, West London on Saturday 16 September. Find out more and register to attend here. – Nettle Hill, Warwickshire on Saturday 14 October. Find out more and register to attend here.   

Churches across all denominations in England and Wales can now register to participate in Churches Count on Nature, an annual scheme where people visit churchyards and record the plant and animal species they encounter. Read the full article and find out how to register your event on our A Rocha UK noticeboard here.  

Delyth Higgins, our Eco Church Officer for Wales, shares about her recent visit to North Wales. Delyth hosted several sessions, bringing together local churches and chapels at various stages of their Eco Church journeys, sharing stories and providing an opportunity to connect and encourage one another.   It was encouraging to see the turnout and response to the recent Eco Church sessions in North Wales. Following an invite to speak to the Bangor Diocese Clergy’s Grwp Cadfan meeting in Nant Gwrtheyrn, two additional ecumenical sessions were arranged – one in Porthmadog and one in Bangor.    The sessions were a blend of information-giving about A Rocha UK’s work and, more specifically, about the purpose and workings of the Eco Church programme and hearing directly from churches already involved. Several churches from the area shared their stories and experiences about how they reached a bronze award. They gave examples of how they started, what they achieved first, and how they progressed. They also included tips, such as ensuring you have support from a small group of enthusiastic individuals rather than trying to do it all alone. Also, acknowledge small steps taken and progress made, and involve people in aspects of the scheme according …