The Sunday service on 11 June, at the start of the Great Big Green Week, was a day to celebrate for Holy Trinity Minchinhampton for receiving an Eco Church Bronze Award.
Jennie South, an Eco Church representative at Holy Trinity, says, “Over the last year we have been completing an Eco Church survey answering searching questions about our worship and teaching, land, buildings, community engagement and lifestyle, which have prompted us to make some positive changes to living more sustainably as individuals and as a church.”
Peter Boait, Chair of Gloucestershire Community Energy Co-op, spoke at the service about its solar panel project at Minchinhampton Academy. The project, in partnership with Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, is now providing electricity directly to the school at a cost that is expected to be significantly less than the school’s electricity tariff, while electricity from the solar roof not used by the school is exported to the local electricity grid. Peter also spoke about plans to invest in solar panels and a heat pump at the Minchinhampton Community Hub.
Jennie adds, “How we invest our money is an important lifestyle question and one we are encouraged to address ethically.”
Holy Trinity also held a ‘Bio Blitz’ weekend at the churchyard, recording some plants and lichen and forwarding the data to the Beautiful Burial Ground Project, to help them detect changes that are taking place.
Jennie says, “A group of visitors from the USA were with us and were fascinated by our activity and had lots of questions to ask, which I’m sure they will take back home with them.”
On Tuesday 13 June, members of the worshipping community held a litter picking morning in and around the centre of the town, including the area around the all-weather pitch allotments and churchyard.
Jennie says, “Several bags of rubbish were filled and recyclable items including drink cans and bottles were separated. We were glad to round off the morning with coffee and cookies back at the church. It was a hugely rewarding activity – we’ll definitely do it again.”
Using a grant from the Gloucestershire County Council Build Back Better Fund, the church has installed bike stands in the churchyard and at the Community Hub, offering secure parking for cyclists and encouraging those who can to cycle to the church. The church also held a workshop on sustainable church flowers and mowed a labyrinth into an area of turf in the churchyard to be used as a prayerful walk.
Each of these activities count towards Holy Trinity’s #EcoChurchInAnHour efforts and is part of the wider work towards Eco Church awards. As a diocese, we are committed to being carbon neutral by 2030.
Register your church and pledge one hour per week to make your church greener.
We love to share the creative ways churches across the Diocese are taking part in #EcoChurchInAnHour – send your stories to ku.gr1728722738o.coi1728722738dsolg1728722738@newo1728722738k1728722738
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