As part of our commitment to the environment, Christchurch Abbeydale registered with the A Rocha Eco Church programme.
The Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme is an environmental award scheme for churches. A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to protect and restore the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment. It provides a framework to support churches of all denominations and sizes to take practical action on caring for God’s earth.
Christchurch is now happy to report that the A Rocha Eco Church Bronze certificate was awarded on 30 July 2026 which demonstrates our commitment to the local community and the environment. This is just the start of our journey but we already have lots of ideas as to how we can become better stewards of our planet.
UPDATE
Christchurch has set a target of achieving an eco bronze award. Several initiatives have already been planned, including raising the soil levels around the front of the church and creating fixed shrub/flower borders around the church. A bug hotel and a hedgehog house have been constructed and we are just looking for a home for them. The Boys’ Brigade have already done a ‘Litter Pick’ in the local area and we have introduced recycling bins outside the church. We would appreciate it if all church users can take home any recyclables.
As an Eco Church we are using Fairtrade tea/coffee and foodstuffs where possible and using eco friendly cleaning products. Much more work is still to be done but the Eco Team is working hard to ensure we are moving in the right direction to ultimately achieving Gold award status and becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
