The Diocese of Bristol congratulates Christ Church Swindon on receiving the Eco Church Gold Award this month, making it the first Church in Swindon to achieve this status from the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK. Christ Church is also the third congregation in the Diocese of Bristol, alongside Hazelnut Community Farm and St Peter’s Henleaze, to receive the award and is the 111th in the country.
Rt Revd Neil Warwick, Suffragan Bishop of Swindon, said: “I would like to offer my congratulations to Christ Church Swindon for becoming the first church in Swindon to receive this status, joining two other congregations in the Diocese who have been commended for their attentiveness to environmental justice. This is a wonderful example of how our church communities are responding to the cry of the earth and I am pleased that their hard work has been recognised in this way.”
Revd Canon Simon Stevenette said: “Christ Church is delighted to receive the Eco Church Gold Award. I am grateful to our PCC Eco Working Group for all their hard work in getting us to this point. As a Church, we are also thankful to our ecumenical colleagues in the Old Town Partnership and those in our Swindon Deanery who have inspired, supported and worked with us to reach this point. This award marks an important stage in the journey of responding to the climate crisis and achieving Net Zero by 2030. We aspire to do all we can and to encourage others to further develop God's vital mission and ministry with Creation care going forward.”
This story of success reminds us that, with dedication and shared goals, we can transform our churches into beacons of hope and environmental stewardship. We hope that this Gold Award will inspire other churches to pursue environmental initiatives, hear the cry of the earth and join us in achieving Net Zero by 2030.
Find out more about the Diocese's Net Zero goals.