Bath and Wells first Gold Eco Church Award winners, Flax Bourton Church, St Michael & All Angels, came together with their community for a day of activities focused environmental action to mark Earth Day.
The event focused its exhibitions and activities on environmental issues and concerns. There was a bug hunt, eco art sessions, willow weaving as well as a community exhibition, featuring information about fast fashion, swifts and butterflies. With live music, tea, coffee, cake and sunshine adding to a festival like atmosphere.
But there were important messages to share as well. Though the church is a Gold Award winner, the environmental work has not slowed down. The ongoing work within the church and wider village to engage people in environmental issues and to encourage practical action is continuing.
Adrienne Hughes who organised the event, says she was delighted by the community engagement, “It is great to have so many people from the community come along and really get engaged with the eco work that we are doing here. The things that we are doing here really fit well with our church’s vision, that all may flourish. I think these events are really powerful things, they take a bit of organising, but to bring in members of the community that you might not always see on a Sunday, is wonderful.”
Community participation was central to the day, with local residents and visitors contributing to activities and displays. Speaking afterwards Molly who lives in the village said, “Having this space and using it to engage young people and keep everyone present in what is needed to take care of the environment as well as using the space so dynamically, as the church community here do, is precious because we need to be doing this work and planting those seeds for future generations.”
Sophie, who is in year 5 is one of the younger members of the community, who attended the event, she said, “It’s a really good idea because it means we can come together to celebrate. We’ve only got one world, if we don’t take care of it, it will be miserable grey and bad, and nobody wants that.”
Not only was it a joyous and educational day, but the event also raised £1,000 towards the church’s halo heating project, which supports St Michael’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.