Christchurch Abbeydale is proud to announce that we were awarded an A Rocha Eco Church Bronze Award certificate on 30 July 2026. The Christchurch Eco Team are now looking at what we, as a church, need to do to gain Silver accreditation.
In order to be awarded a certificate, a survey has to be completed. There are 5 main areas, each of which has a minimum level to be met before an award can be given. The areas are:
1. Worship and Teaching
2. Buildings and Energy
3. Land and Nature
4. Community and Global Engagement
5. Lifestyle
The new ‘bug hotel’ which has has been installed in the church grounds. A hedgehog hibernaculum and a wild stumpery are also ready to be installed.
Christchurch Abbeydale – Caring for Creation
Last year, Christchurch responded to God’s call to care for his creation. We registered with the A Rocha Eco Church programme and an Eco Team was established which is looking at how best we can heed that call.
Over the coming weeks and months, we will be looking at completing the A.Rocha survey and looking at the best ways we can improve our eco credentials and contribute to helping our precious environment.
In the meantime, here are a dozen suggestions how we can all respond to the climate crisis and contribute to a better and more sustainable environment.
Twelve things You Can Do To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
1. Walk and cycle more. Leave your car at home. Walk to church. Car share if possible. Use public transport where possible. Get out more for cycle rides in nature and help get fit at the same time.
2. Eat less meat and dairy: Eat more plant-based meals – by reducing your consumption of animal protein by half, you can cut your diet’s carbon footprint by more than 40%.
3. Reduce food waste. Buy less and plan meals ahead and only buy what you know you will eat.
4. Shop and buy local. Buy locally grown foods such as fruit and vegetables when they are in season and are not imported. It helps to cut down on transport fuel and pollution. Use reuseable shopping bags.
5. Repair items when they break down: Recycle and use recycled items. Mend clothes or have electric appliances fixed instead of throwing them away.
6. Stop using single use plastics: Swap plastic bags, cups, bottles, and straws for reusable alternatives.
7. Save energy: Turn off lights when leaving a room and switch to efficient LED bulbs. Consider switching to a zero-carbon or renewable energy provider.
8. Save water: Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and fix any leaky taps. Try taking shorter showers. Use ‘grey’ water to water plants.
9. Plant greenery: Grow flowers for bees or plant a tree to help clean the air. Consider having bird feeders (especially in the winter months) and bug hotels in the garden.
10. Recycle right: Sort paper, glass, metal, food, plastics and garden waste into your local collection bins.
11. Make your voice heard by those in power: Lobby local politicians and businesses to support efforts to reduce carbon pollution.
12. Get more informed about caring for creation and tackling climate change and help spread the word: Encourage your family and friends to take action to tackle climate change
Websites with useful information:
i. Church of England, Environment Programme: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/church-england-environment-programme
ii. The Methodist Church, The Environment and Climate Change: https://www.methodist.org.uk/action/climate
iii. United Reformed Church, Sustainability & Eco-Friendly Buildings: https://urcresourceshub.org.uk/category/buildings/sustainabiity-eco
iv. The Baptist Union Environment Network: https://baptist.org.uk/Groups/349554/Baptist_Union_Evironment.aspx?redirected=1
v. A Rocha Eco Church: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk
vi. Green Christian: https://greenchristian.org.uk/resources
vii. Friends of the Earth: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change
viii. WWF: https://www.wwf.org.uk/thingsyoucando
Eco Church Presentation
A presentation of the A Rocha Eco Church programme is taking place at Christchurch on Friday 9 September 2026 at 10.00 am in the back room. The guest speaker is Freya Ballard – Carbon Reduction Officer for The Bristol Methodist District. Freya will be providing a useful insight into A Rocha programme and what the requirements are for gaining the silver and gold awards as well as suggesting what Christchurch will have to do to achieve those awards.
Malcolm Brader will also provide a report on the current status of our A Rocha survey, i.e. what we have achieved to date and what we will need to focus on in the future.
The Eco Team would like to invite you to attend the talk. Space is limited so please let Malcolm Brader know if would like to attend (Tel 01452 526411 or email malcolm.brader72@gmail.com). This is an ideal time to engage with the church eco programme as church member participation is an important aspect of the programme.
It is important to remember that we are all stewards of God’s creation and as humans, we are entrusted with the care of creation, not ownership, and therefore we must all act responsibly.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” – Psalm 24:1
“The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.– Isaiah 24:4-5