Devizes Church wins Eco Church bronze award
St John with St Mary, Devizes has won the Eco Church Bronze award from environmental charity A Rocha, which is given to churches which can demonstrate that they are caring for God’s earth in different areas of their life and work.
The Rector of St John with St Mary, the Revd Jonathan Poston, said:
“We are very pleased to be in the 7% of churches in Salisbury Diocese to have achieved this award.
“As well as auditing our energy use and ensuring the products we use are as sustainable as possible, we have taken more challenging steps such as creating a ‘Living Churchyard’ - which is managed not to look easy on the eye for humans, but to provide the richest possible living environment for birds, insects, worms and other ecologically vital wildlife.
“I am particularly grateful to the volunteers from the Friends of St John’s and St Mary’s Churchyards and Omnes ad Unum whose hard work has made our churchyards more wildlife friendly – and more beautiful. I am also indebted to members of our congregation who supported our drive towards becoming an EcoChurch through donations, supporting Christmas events, and lending us equipment.”
Churchwarden Mike McClelland who led on the project has further ambitions:
“There are just ten churches in the Diocese of Salisbury, which covers the vast bulk of Wiltshire an Dorset, with an EcoChurch Silver award, and only three with Gold. St John’s scored Silver or Gold in two out of the five assessment categories, and we think getting a Silver award is within our grasp.
“This isn’t just about winning prizes, however, but about ensuring we pass the world God has given to us to look after on to the generations after us in a fit state.”
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