Silver Award for Trinity Methodist Church

TRINITY Methodist Church's Eco Group members are celebrating after receiving an A Rocha Eco Church Silver Award.

The accolade follows hot on the heels of the group receiving Bronze in 2022 and has certainly given the team impetus to go for Gold!

The A Rocha Eco Church is a learning community of churches of all shapes and sizes. It provides a framework of support and leadership to take practical action on caring for God’s earth.

Trinity Methodist Church in Clitheroe started their journey in 2019 when minister, Rev Ian Humphreys, set about addressing some of the critical climate issues raised at the National Methodist Church annual conference. Archie Whymark, one of the older members of the congregation volunteered to be their Climate Action Champion and register for the A Rocha Eco Church Award Scheme. The Trinity Eco Group was then formed with the help of an enthusiastic bunch of volunteers.

ECO ENTHUSIASTS: Trinity Eco Group (L to R: Fiona, Sandra, Claire, Archie, Anita, Lisa, Robert and Carol).

“We achieved a Bronze Eco Church Award in 2022 and buoyed by our success, we were determined to continue”, said Archie.

He added: “At the start of our journey to a Silver Award, we contacted the local URC church in Clitheroe, who had already successfully achieved a Gold Eco Church Award, to pick their brains. They were brilliant and very helpful.”

Some of the highlights of Trinity Methodist Church’s journey to their A Rocha Silver Eco Church Award include:

• A successful ‘Climate Sunday’ celebration service in October.
• Dedicating four benches outside the church for relaxation, meditation and prayer.
• The “twinning” all of their seven church toilets with ones in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, the Yemen and Zambia.
• Regular Eco Church news updates and eco tips in the weekly Church Notices.
• Eco contributions to the church website and Facebook page.
• Participating in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch.
• Producing a monthly Climate Action Prayer Letter.
• Using Fairtrade Tea and Coffee after church services.
• Continuing a fruitful relationship with Natural England for help and advice

TOILET TWINNING: Photo of Simquambo Sichyanda and son with Twinned Toilet in Hamubbwatu village, Choma District, Zambia. (Photo: Tom Price Toilet Twinning).

More in depth efforts are required to gain the Gold Award but Archie is not deterred: “To achieve a Gold Award, we need to maintain what we did for Silver and increase the activity. “We have already started constructing a Trinity Eco Community Garden around the church, including a “Living Wall”, and with the continued support of our Minister and the sympathy of our congregation, we should achieve a Gold Award by the end of this Summer”.

H. Durrant