A beacon of hope: Derbyshire’s first gold Eco Church award

Glossop Parish Church of All Saints has become the first church in the Derbyshire diocese to achieve a gold Eco Church award.

The award is the highest accolade given by A Rocha UK, a Christian conservation charity, and reflects the church’s commitment to putting creation care at the heart of their activities, benefiting biodiversity and reducing their carbon footprint.

To achieve the award Glossop Parish Church developed their churchyard to be a living sanctuary at the heart of the community. The planting scheme encourages bees, butterflies and birds, there are bird boxes, bug hotels and hedgehog hotels, and the hedges aren’t cut when birds might be nesting. The land is used for outdoor services and learning about creation, and events such as the Big Garden Birdwatch, a barbeque for the Bellringers and the end-of-season party for Dark Peak Children’s orchestra.

The church also had a green Christmas, renting a Christmas tree which is returned after Christmas so that it can continue growing. They sent candle stubs and used tea lights to a company in south-west England who recycle them to produce ‘new’ candles, and are currently part of ‘Buy Nothing New Month’, trying out alternatives like renting, repairing and buying pre-loved items - to save money and the planet.

Reverend David Mundy, All Saints’ Vicar, said: ‘The Eco Church award scheme has been instrumental in helping us understand practical ways to engage with the Anglican Communion’s Fifth Mark of Mission, which is “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”. Working to achieve the different award levels challenged us about our faith. Increasingly, we recognised that our lifestyle choices – what we eat and wear, how we travel and dispose of our waste and so on – have implications not only for the planet but also for our sisters and brothers in the global south. This award is not the end of our journey, it’s a staging post. I am very proud of the Eco Church team at All Saints. Our next steps include investigating how we might work towards net zero targets, and supporting other parishes on their Eco Church journeys’

Reverend Lucy Foster, A Rocha UK’s Eco Church Officer for Northern England said: ‘All Saints’ creation care is deeply rooted in their worship and prayer life and flows through all they do - from the beautiful, accessible, sacred space of their churchyard, to Toilet Twinning and initiatives with community partners to combat air pollution in areas of deprivation. They are an inspiring example of how church environmental action benefits global and local neighbours’.

Now in its eighth year, the Eco Church award scheme has created a national community of churches addressing the environmental crisis, using a common framework, and learning and speaking up together. 

There are over 5,500 Eco Churches in England and Wales, more than 10% of all the UK’s churches.  Most  are Church of England churches, 1,580 of which have achieved an award - 31 of them gold. By 2025, A Rocha UK aims to have engaged at least 25% of the UK’s churches in the award scheme.