Wiltshire church supports Rewilding

Benefice Eco Church Representative Jane Jones says:

"Holy Trinity Bradford on Avon has recently produced a Churchyard Policy, written by ecologists Ali and Dave Green with lepidopterist Mike Fuller, to encourage and explain how we can maintain and develop our churchyard as a real eco-resource to the community, in keeping with our Eco Church status.

"Currently a trial strip will be left unmown to encourage the wildflowers that have seeded here, and at the end of the year we will cordon off another area and leave the sward unmown until the high summer 2020, as a mini conservation area.

"We are hopeful that with the abundance of brambles here it will be an attractive area for butterflies and other insects, as well as small birds and mammals.

"As a result we have decided to support the Blue Campaign which was highlighted at Bradford on Avon Town Council’s recent Climate Emergency Meeting, and Dave Green has made our Blue Heart using recycled bits of wood.

"The campaign was conceived in 2014 in response to a report on the State of Nature published that year, which highlighted the dramatic decline in biodiversity and biomass across the UK and was founded by wildlife film maker, Fergus Beeley, who has produced award winning films with Sir David Attenborough, including ‘The Life of Birds’.

"It promotes the rewilding of our gardens, parks, road verges, schools and churches. It suggests that a part of this ground is set aside and left to grow through the summer.

"A blue heart symbol, made out of recycled materials, is staked in the ground over the area being rewilded. This communicates to neighbours and friends that rewilding is in process (and that it is not just the owner or council being lazy!)

"We hope to see many more Blue Hearts appearing around BOA in the coming months!"