Manna feature: Coming together to care for creation

It’s been three years since Bath and Wells declared a climate emergency and committed to Net Zero by 2030. During that time church communities have been making changes in a host of ways, all doing their bit to care for creation and help us achieve our goals, and in November we achieved A Rocha’s Bronze Eco Diocese status.

One initiative that has proved very popular with churches and their communities is the Wilder Churches initiative run in partnership with the Somerset Wildlife Trust. Over 200 people attended the online launch of Wilder Churches and since then they have attended regular sessions to share progress and ideas. There are also regular sessions for those new to Wilder Churches and keen to learn how they can make their churchyard more biodiverse.

Pippa Rayner from the Somerset Wildlife Trust says, “Local people are best placed to really get to know and understand their local churchyard or burial ground. The Wilder Churches training has been designed to support communities in this and empower them to take positive, evidence-based, effective action for wildlife in a way that also works for their community.”

Sara Emmett, Environment Adviser for Bath and Wells says, “We have been so delighted by the positive response from so many people across the diocese to Wilder Churches, but also that so many churches are engaging with the Eco Church initiative. It’s a lot easier to become an Eco Church than many people think and together we can make small changes that combine to make a real difference. 

Find out more about Wilder Churches and the Eco Church award in the Environment section of the website or visit the Wilder Churches page on the Somerset Wildlife Trust website which features some fabulous case studies from our churches.

This article was first featured in the April edition of the Manna mailing.