How green is my church? Silver success is just champion

A VILLAGE church has won silver for going green. Or in the case of Christ Church, Friezland going greener.

Parishioners already proud to be recognised in the A Rocha Eco Church initiative are celebrating the upgrade of a previous accolade.

Indeed, the Victorian built church on Church Road was in the first cohort of Mancunian eco churches to collect its bronze award.

Matt Carson is Christ Church’s eco champion and co-ordinated a recent litter pick round the grounds while volunteers also collected branches and twigs brought down by recent storms.

That debris will be used to create natural bug houses to supplement those already created by members of the junior church.

Other helping hands for nature include building ‘homes’ for hedgehogs and birds while water butts and compost bins have also been installed.

Further nods to nature have seen benches erected in the church grounds made from the wood of trees that had to be felled because of Ash dieback.

The Christian charity A Rocha UK works ‘for the protection and restoration of the natural world.’

Central to its success is an online survey with key questions to determine what each church does – or not – do caring for God’s earth. Actions count towards a bronze, silver or gold Eco Church Award.

Reverend Mike Donmall said: “We build on it in the church services where we can, looking at caring for God’s creation and nurturing the natural world.

“It’s about getting climate change on people’s agenda and getting them thinking and talking about it and seeing what they can do to help.”

Previous Christ Church eco work included: wildlife survey, bike recycling and fixing event plus switching gas and electricity to Green Energy UK.

Future projects will involve planting fruit and vegetables plus creating a pond and pumpkin prayer trail.

For more details visit https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/how-eco-church-works/