St Francis' Church, High Heaton, has become the 100th gold awarded Eco Church in England and Wales.
The award is from by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, and reflects St Francis' commitment to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of what they do. With over 4,000 Eco Churches awarded, the gold award is a prestigious and impressive achievement.
In doing so, St Francis' becomes the first church in the Diocese of Newcastle to attain the prestigious gold Eco Church award.
All of the gold awards achieved are testament to a church’s hard work, prayer and committed action, and St Francis’ Church is no exception. First registering as an Eco Church in 2016, they were awarded bronze just a year later in 2017. Three years on in 2020, they reached their silver award, and after five years, they are now celebrating reaching gold.
An A Rocha UK volunteer assessor who visited the church said, “St Francis' is the furthest north gold-awarded Eco Church - and will be a beacon in this part of the country. They have been pursuing the environmental agenda for many years and demonstrate a passion for campaigning on environmental issues locally and nationally, and have embedded creation care in every aspect of church life.”
St Francis' Church has demonstrated their commitment to the environmental message by participating in the production of a local magazine distributed to 3,500 residents, as well as sharing eco tips and weather summaries on their website. Work has taken place to reduce the heating costs in what is a challenging, uninsulated building, constructed in 1953, and creating a pollinator friendly oasis in their tranquil and thoughtfully planted sanctuary garden on a once-neglected patch of land (pictured above).
Helen Stephens, Church Relations Manager, commented, “Our huge congratulations to St Francis', High Heaton, on their gold award. The climate and nature crises are profoundly unjust, with the most devastating impacts affecting the poor and vulnerable who have done the least to cause the crisis. We worship a God who loves the earth he created and calls us to care for it. We wish St Francis' all the best as they celebrate their award and look forward to them influencing and supporting other churches striving to care for God’s earth.”
Reverend Robert Lawrance, Vicar at St Francis' Church, said: "We are thrilled to receive the A Rocha UK gold Eco Church award, which will boost us in our goal to achieve net zero carbon by 2030, and so much more. We believe that caring for the environment is a key part of our mission, and we are keen to continue on our Green journey. With teamwork and a bit of effort, anyone can get started with Eco Church.”
The Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, the Bishop of Newcastle said: “It’s a wonderful achievement by St Francis' Church in reaching gold Eco Church status and I congratulate all involved in this remarkable accolade.
“I have no doubt that this will inspire our other churches – many of whom are already on their own impressive eco journeys. It underlines a strong determination across our diocese to strive for net carbon zero and an unwavering commitment to look after God’s wonderous creation.”
A Rocha UK aims to equip churches and individuals to create a movement to help restore biodiversity at a local level in this critical decade for the climate. The Eco Church award scheme brings together a national community of churches addressing the environmental crisis, using a common framework and an online toolkit to learn and speak up together. There are thousands of churches taking action through Eco Church, with over 8,500 churches registered - 20% of churches in England and Wales. By 2030, A Rocha UK aims to engage at least 50%, or 20,000, churches in ongoing efforts to protect nature and address climate change through the free program.