We are delighted to share that St Michael’s Church, Flax Bourton, has been awarded the Gold Eco Church Award by environmental charity A Rocha UK. The first Gold to be awarded in the Diocese of Bath and Wells, and the first in England and Wales under the new, tougher Eco Church framework.
Assessors praised the church’s creativity and genuine passion for caring for creation.
Revd James Harris, Rector of Flax Bourton, after hearing the great news, said , “This award celebrates how our community is living out the Gospel so that all may flourish — people, wildlife, and the planet.”
Eco Church Lead, Adrienne Hughes, added, “This has been a real labour of love for our whole church family. We’ve laughed, learned, planted, and planned together — and along the way discovered just how much joy there is in caring for Creation. We hope our story inspires others to give it a go.”
And this is how the news was shared with the church community.
Flax gets gold!
We’re overjoyed to share that St Michael’s Flax Bourton has been recognised with a Gold Eco Church award from A Rocha UK.
Even more exciting — St Michael's will be the first church in the Diocese of Bath & Wells, and the first in the whole of England and Wales under the new tougher Eco Church framework, to reach Gold!
Assessors praised our evident creativity and genuine passion for care of Creation and the authentic way this work threads through all of our worship, mission and governance, as well as connecting with the wider community and bringing different generations together.
They also noted the variety of innovative projects — from our nature lending library and seed exchange to our planned far infra-red Halo heating system, creative prayer and worship, and vibrant events where the whole community get involved.
Bishop Michael sent his congratulations via video.
We will share more information about the award, the steps that were taken to achieve it and how the whole community has been part of taking better care of God's world.