Volunteers sought for new allotment at eco friendly St Mary’s

A NEW community allotment is planned by the latest Saddleworth church to be recognised for its work caring for the environment.

Working with Uppermill based Incredible Edible Saddleworth, St Mary’s Greenfield aims to turn part of its grounds into an allotment.

And having been awarded bronze status as an eco church, the impending work is the next step towards further recognition in the scheme run by Christian charity A Rocha.

Eco Champion is Katherine Grant said: “Being an eco church is all about caring for God’s creation and being good tenants of his Earth.

“As part of the wider Church of England community, we are working together to bring caring for creation into focus.

“We’ve been taking steps to be more eco-friendly, like recycling, helping our grounds become a home for nature, and having a communal Christmas card.

“Some of the things we were already doing, like our Fair Trade status and our toilet twinning, also act to protect nature and be more eco-friendly.

“As part of a global community we know our actions, no matter how small, impact on others even those far away from us.

“By making positive changes we also positively affect those around us. In the future, we hope we can join the likes of Friezland Church and St Chad’s and earn our silver award.

“Perhaps you’d like to join us in checking your carbon footprint? The World Wildlife Foundation has an easy-to-use carbon footprint calculator.

“Or perhaps you’d like to help us with the Church grounds? The community allotment will be fully accessible and easy to use.

“We do need help setting things up, caring for the plants and we need donations of tools!

Rev Barbara Christopher said: “For me, caring for our world is part of our mission as followers of Jesus who calls us to love God and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

“All the gifts of creation are evidence of God’s love for us. So, we in turn, must love and care for all the gifts of creation he has given us and ensure they are passed on to future generations to love and enjoy.”