All Saints, Lydiard Millicent, Swindon, and St Philip & St James, Neston, have both utilised the Diocese’s Net Zero grant scheme to help them achieve significant milestones in their sustainability journey.
The Net Zero programme offers free energy audits for all churches in the Diocese, to assist them in planning their route to Net Zero by 2030, a diocese-wide goal. Following an audit, each church can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 to implement recommendations from the report.
Climate justice is a key focus of the Diocese, which declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030. It also forms a key aspect of the Diocese’s ‘Transforming Church. Together’ strategy.
All Saints
All Saints' Church has recently completed the installation of two Herschel ultra-efficient far infrared heaters. The Diocesan Net Zero grant was utilised to help fund the installation. The heaters are designed to heat the people and not the space and can provide instant heat when needed.
To celebrate the completion of the project, All Saints is holding a celebration on Saturday, 27th September from 14:00-17:00. The day will feature a presentation on the project, a talk by artist Sheona Beaumont on the new etched glass door, musical performances, and other activities. If you would like to attend, please contact the Church using the email address at the bottom of this article.
Speaking about the importance of Creation care, Nicky Iddon, Eco Champion of All Saints, said: "At All Saints, we cherish our beautiful God-given environment and are committed to caring for it. The Diocese’s Net Zero Grant Scheme has enabled us to install two Herschel Halo Infrared heaters, which reduce our gas use and provide immediate warmth to our congregation.”
St Philip and St James
St Philip & St James Church has recently updated its heating system to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. They now have sixty under pew heaters in the nave, three infrared heaters in the chancel and even a heater under the altar to keep the Priest warm! They have also installed programmable panel heaters in the vestibule, cloakroom, vestry and kitchen. This project was made possible in part by funding from the Diocese’s Net Zero Grant Programme.
Speaking about the project, Charles Todd Eco Champion of St Philip & St James, said: “We are delighted to have completed this project, which marks a significant step in reducing our environmental impact. The new heaters replace Victorian radiators, which we have decided to keep as they tell a story about the changing nature of heating our Church. Once our current electricity tariff ends, we will switch to a green energy tariff, the next step in our sustainability journey. We are grateful for the Diocesan grant, which helped to get the project going and we would like to thank the team at the Diocese for their help along the way. We hope that our project will encourage others in a similar position to follow suit”
Speaking about the projects, Kit Connel, Environment and Sustainability Manager for the Diocese, said: “It’s great to see both Churches commit proactively to their Net Zero journey. The new heating systems are a brilliant example of how churches can combine heritage care with sustainable innovation.”
If your Church would like to get involved with the Diocese's Net Zero project, please click here.
If you’d like to come to All Saint's celebration, please email nicholajane@aol.com