Eco Church

St Mary’s Church is taking part in the Eco Church Scheme, an award scheme, run by A Rocha UK, for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate their care for creation as an integral part of loving their neighbour and following God faithfully.

 What is Eco Church?

A Rocha UK is part of a worldwide family of A Rocha organisations committed to nature conservation as an expression of Christian mission. The award scheme focuses on what actions the church is taking in relation to the following areas:  Worship and teaching about Creation Care; How we look after our buildings; How we look after our land; How we engage with our local community and in global campaigns; and in the personal lifestyles of the members of our congregation.

St Mary’s has achieved it’s Bronze and Silver Level Awards and is now working towards Gold.

We have an Eco Church Team who have recently completed a number of projects including implementing a land management plan to look after the churchyard for the benefit of wildlife; drawing up an environmental policy to commit to ethical purchasing, reduction of waste, working towards net zero carbon and encouraging church members and the wider community to reduce their carbon footprint. We also take part in Citizen Science activities and in 2026 we have taken part in the Big Garden Bird Watch, Churches Count on Nature and the Big Butterfly Count.

Our monthly newsletters contain an Eco page with ideas and information about ways to reduce our carbon footprint and look after nature. Click here for the link to the newsletters page.

We have also produced a series of leaflets with tips for sustainable living. Click here to view the leaflets.