Dealing with an old building and engaging the congregation in entering a ‘personal ecological conversion’ were the biggest challenges faced by St John’s, Waterloo in working towards an Eco Church Award.

Commenting on Salisbury Cathedral’s success in gaining a Bronze Eco Church Award, Canon Treasurer, Robert Titley said: ‘We believe that the Christian gospel is good news for the whole of creation as well as for human beings.

Having replaced an old heating system with new one fuelled by a biomass boiler, Streetly Methodist Church began thinking about a 20-year future plan and how caring for the environment might feature in it.

Wymondham Abbey in Norfolk received a Bronze Eco Church Award in July 2016. Hilary Hunter describes some of the work involved…

A combination of Al Gore’s film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and A Rocha founder Peter Harris’s books alerted the three churches of the Parish of Baildon (St John’s, St James’s and St Hugh’s) to the need for Christians to be responsible stewards of God’s earth.

When Dorset-based Hilfield Friary applied for a Silver Award, their application was so impressive, they were immediately upgraded to Gold! ‘They’d achieved so much,’ said Eco Church Manager Nigel Hopper

Trinity Church, Leek registered with Eco Church by way of demonstrating their ongoing commitment to creation and environmental issues.

Romsey Methodist Church embarked on their Eco Church journey a few months after completing a major building modernisation project that included stripping out organ, pews and heating, and installing energy-efficient heating and lighting with enhanced insulation.

Lyme Regis Baptist Church gained a Bronze Eco Church Award in February 2016. One of the things they did by way of working towards their Award was to switch to a renewable energy company to supply the electricity and gas used by the church.