St Mark’s Broomhill and Broomhall receive the Gold Eco Church Award from A Rocha

Becoming the first in Sheffield Diocese and 36th church to receive the award in England and Wales.

Listing some of the highlights, the visiting A Rocha team said:

• You have been on the caring for creation journey for many years and it is clear how much you have learned and progressed as a team and a church community.  You have embedded environmental principles in everything that you are doing as an intergenerational church community; from running Muddy Church and building bug hotels to holding regular Climate Sunday services. Your noticeboard was a highlight as it outlined all the care for the earth activities you’re involved with alongside the solar panels energy stats.
• Wonderful to hear and see how you have been innovative with some of the challenges around your building especially the double-glazing trial and that you are continually looking for ways to improve and how you deal creatively with situations as they arise, especially as the church is in a conservation area.
• The participation and involvement of the wider church congregation to get involved with surveys as part of the lifestyle section 
• The series of tapestries worked on by the congregation to tell the creations story will be a great visual testimony to how central creation care is to the church when completed.
• The Green in front of the church is a well-used community space especially given your location near to a hospital and other public buildings. Great to see bat boxes and newly planted trees and your intentional management plan to be wildlife friendly.
• Impressive discussion and continued lobbying for action on climate change with your local council and MP and given that Hope for the Future (a climate change charity) started with a couple of your church members, and your positive collaboration with other environmental networks.

‘We’re absolutely delighted with the news. With having a historic church which is Grade 2 listed to care for and has poor insulation, gas boilers and no double glazing, these are not straightforward and simple projects to take on. They take time to see through.’

The team at St Mark’s have been asked to look at next steps to building on their success, including updates on the progress of their double glazing, producing an ongoing Lifestyle survey to measure the impact of the changes and looking at other local Ecumenical networks to support other churches on their Eco Church journey.

To get involved with this initiative: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk

Letter from Bishop Pete sending congratulations

You can see the certificate here