Just before Christmas, St John’s Methodist Church, Settle heard that they had achieved a Gold Eco Church Award. They gained the bronze award in 2019 and the silver award in March 2022. The award scheme is organised by the charity A Rocha UK.
They are the 42nd church in England & Wales of any denomination to achieve a Gold Award and the 7th Methodist Church.
The church is keen for other churches in the Settle Methodist Circuit to enter for at least the bronze award. If that happens the Methodist Circuit can apply for a bronze award at Circuit level.
There are 18 churches that have gained an Eco Church award in the Craven Area:- Ten at bronze level and six at silver level and two including St John’s at gold level. Could your church be the next?
Settle Catholic Church gained a “Living Simply Award” in February 2020, having started working for it in 2018 (This is the Catholic equivalent of an Eco Church award). The other church with a gold award is St Mary’s Church of England, Embsay. The silver award churches, working NW to SE through Craven are at St John’s Low Bentham, All Saints Burton in Lonsdale, St Mary’s the Virgin, Ingleton, the Priory Church at Bolton Abbey, Silsden Methodist, and St Stephen’s Steeton. Further afield Clitheroe URC have a gold and Clitheroe Quakers have a silver award.
To gain an award a church has to show they have carried out activities in five areas:
- Worship and teaching
- Management of church buildings
- Management of church land
- Community & global engagement
- Lifestyle
Philip Taylor of St John’s Eco Group said, “St. John’s is recognised in the town as a community that has committed itself to making a positive impact on climate change. By showing the outside community that we are making practical changes to the way we live, we are setting an example to others. Hopefully it will encourage other community groups to tread more lightly on the planet and make similar lifestyle changes.”
You can see other churches in England and Wales which have achieved Eco Church Awards at different levels here. https://app.ecochurch.org/map
