Eco Church – at St Paul with All Saints
Eco Church is a learning community of churches of all shapes and sizes. It provides a framework to support churches and its leadership to take practical action on caring for God’s earth.
We believe in a living God, who made the world, loves it and entrusts it to the care of human society. We are very proud to be working towards becoming an Eco Church.
We are grateful to Elizabeth Trice who has been working with Eco Church and Woodlands trust to develop a management plan for our Church to create biodiverse habitat that species can use as a steppingstone between the sparce managed green spaces in the area. This includes:
- Planting small fruit trees at the front of the church
- Adding bird boxes to the memorial garden
- Working with the project to build compost piles and bug hotel in the project garden and develop the raised beds and planters.
- Developing the area alongside the church hall, clearing the rubbish and overgrowth and planting with specially chosen species to increase biodiversity and minimise maintenance. Add bird boxes and plant a hedgerow in the autumn.
- Along the wasteland at the side of the church further bird boxes, hedgehog house and bug hotels are to be built.
- In the prayer garden, a barrel pond, thin hedge, bird boxes and additional planting.
The full management plan can be accessed here : All Saints Eco Church Management Plan 2023
If you wish to be involved in any of these exciting projects please contact Elizabeth trice.elizabeth@yahoo.co.uk or Jenny revjennywarrington@gmail.com
Latest News
May 2024
Eco Day
On Saturday 11th May 2024 the Eco Team undertook a long-awaited project task, to plant fruit trees at the front of the church.
It has been one of our goals from the beginning to plant and layer our green spaces to improve species diversity.
Therefore, we have planted 4 different species of tree, crab apple, Cox apple, Cherry and Pear.
3 of these trees will produce edible fruit which the congregation and local community will be able to pick, (at least in a few years).
By completing this task, we are improving one of the main points to the project which is ‘giving people chances to interact with nature’.
May 2024
Eco Project
The aim of the project isn’t just to give a range of wildlife a home on our site, it is also to create active change and perception in the parish and local community.
Our project was also set up to help improve mental and physical health in our community.
It is scientifically proven that mental health can be improved by going to a green space. But a less known fact is that physical health is also impacted, such as the lowering of blood pressure.
Since we started, we have planted an incredible 64 trees on our site, (60 creating 2 hedgerows) and installed a barrel pond, which is self-oxygenating with a range of freshwater plants thriving inside. We have celebrated Earth Day, achieved our Bronze Eco Church Award, become an Igniting Innovation Winner of 2023 (a Woodland Trust funding scheme) and we aren’t done yet.
Rob and Josh helped build a rock dome for invertebrates, we have written our first scientific report on research that was collected by the congregation on site.
We have set up the Seedlings Network whose main aim is to connect likeminded people together and look to continue our outreach and education this coming summer.
If you would like to get involved or would like to know more about our Project or the Network, please sign up using our sign-up sheets and email trice.elizabeth@yahoo.co.uk
I would like to give a big thank you to Allan, Blessy, Cheryl, Janet, Jason, Jenny, Julie, John, Josh, Rob and Tracey for all their help, support, and time. Without you this project would not be the same!
March 2024
All Saints Eco-Church Bronze Award
Congratulations to the Eco-Church team for achieving the Bronze Eco-Church Award. Much hard work has been done by many people ensuring our church saves energy, recycles, and develops our green spaces to become more biodiverse and much more.
A special thanks to Elizabeth Trice for her passion and commitment.
Please continue to support the team and look after God’s precious world.
January 2024
(Images courtesy of Alan Warrington and Rob Trice).
The pond is located in a semi-shaded area of the prayer garden at the back of church, next to the car park.
We will keep everyone posted on the exciting insects that come visit and on the installation of our second barrel pond in the Community Project garden, which is due to be set up by summer 2024.
Huge thanks to Alan, Rob and Josh for their hard work and help!
We also planted our first hedgerow in the prayer garden. The hedge is made of a mixture of hawthorn, Dog rose, Dogwood, crab apple and hazel saplings. It will hopefully grow over the next 10 years into a refuge and source of resources for a range of wildlife in the local area. It took a huge effort from our trusty volunteers to clear off all the rumble and bricks in the soil to ensure the trees will grow well! So thank you once again team, for helping me put the first 18 of our 60 trees in place!”
Our second hedgerow is to be planted in the Hall green space, at the start of February 2024. For more accurate dates and to come and join in, please see the church notices or keep your eye out for our Facebook page!
But that is not all, with the start of a brand new year we are hoping to get even more work done! With plans to set up a second barrel pond, a wildlife flower meadow, bug hotel, bird boxes and more. We are also continuing our surveying efforts, taking part in Caring for Gods Acre 2024 in June.
All Saints Church was awarded £2,250 by the Woodland Trust in 2023. This is part of their ‘Igniting Innovation Challenge’ to support our Eco project to not only boost local biodiversity and wildlife connectivity but also improve the local community and give people the opportunity to access wildlife and nature.
All are welcome to join our team and get involved! You don’t need to have any experience or qualifications.
So if you have a love for nature and would like to help make a difference in our local community, please contact Elizabeth trice.elizabeth@yahoo.co.uk or Jenny revjennywarrington@gmail.com
Many thanks,
Elizabeth Trice.
On 22nd April 2023 Elizabeth Trice received the great news that All Saints Church has been awarded £2,250 by the Woodland Trust.
This is part of their ‘Igniting Innovation Challenge’ to support our Eco project to not only boost local biodiversity and wildlife connectivity but also improve the local community and give people the opportunity to access wildlife and nature.
From 3rd to 11th June 2023 we will be surveying the church memorial garden, as part of the ‘Churches Count on Nature’ scheme, volunteers are needed! The surveying will only last an hour a day, from 11 to 12 am if possible.
Elizabeth will supply ID and recording sheet for volunteers that would like to come along and help.
The Woodland Trust are also planning to send us trees to plant in November.
You can read full details of the proposals here: All Saints Eco Church Management Plan 2023
Some contacts and resources for Eco Church are listed here: Eco Church Contacts and Resources
