St George the Martyr, Shirley has become the second church in our diocese and the 85th in the country to achieve the Eco Church Gold Award. A significant achievement, the award comes as a real testament to St George’s deep and ongoing commitment to caring for creation in every part of church life.
The Eco Church scheme, run by global conservation agency – A Rocha UK helps churches to reflect on how they care for God’s world. Through its free online survey, church communities are invited to assess their environmental practices across five key areas: land and nature, buildings and energy, community and global engagement, lifestyle, and worship and teaching. By taking some simple actions and regularly updating the Eco Church answers, churches can qualify for a bronze, silver or gold award.
In our diocese, 50% of our churches are now Eco Churches, with over 27% having achieved a bronze award or higher. This number continues to grow monthly, as more churches explore what it means to honour God through sustainable everyday actions.
St George the Martyr, Shirley is a vibrant church in the London Borough of Croydon, and part of the Croydon Addington Deanery. Set in an area with over 9 centuries of rural history, Shirley was once heavily wooded and used for agriculture before developing as a suburb in the inter-war years. The parish still includes part of the historic Great North Wood. St George’s grew alongside Shirley’s expansion from the 1930s and now serves a densely developed residential community.
Jan Turner, member of the Eco Team at St George’s and Eco Champion for Croydon Archdeaconry said, “At the start of our Eco Church journey, St George’s already had solar panels, cycle racks and some secondary glazing. When completing the survey, the church’s status in the ‘Worship and Teaching’ section had already achieved Gold. This gave us the impetus to pursue other areas in the survey which could be classed ‘easy wins’ and helped progress our journey through Bronze and Silver towards the Gold.”
Since 2020, the team has been meeting regularly online to identify next steps and plan key events. This included hosting an environmentally themed film night with a presentation on ‘How to start your Eco Church journey’ and locally sourced refreshments – open to other local churches too (of all denominations).
One of the best initiatives taken was the introduction of litter picks – starting with a ‘trial’ pick around the church site. The group soon progressed to organising, in liaison with the Council, three picks a year in the last remaining vestige of The Great North Wood. This has now been increased to four picks a year. They have proved a great opportunity to chat with members of the public, some of whom now join us each quarter and have involved other members of all ages from the congregation too.
Rubbish collected from a litter pick in April 2022
Where the group found they didn’t know the answers to a particular area, a survey was compiled for the congregation to complete. This helped in the progression to a particular award level.
One member said, ‘Being part of the Eco Group has been an eye opener in that it impacted so many areas of our church life and caused me to view my personal life differently. I’m sure many others in the congregation feel the same. Constant publicity in the newsletter and around church events has been so beneficial.’
The group was apprehensive about the upcoming ‘Gold Inspection’ but the reality soon found all misgivings were unfounded. A very relaxed atmosphere prevailed throughout the morning of the Inspection.
Feedback from the Gold Eco Church inspection said, “We very much enjoyed our visit and are really grateful that so many members of the team – and churchwarden and new incumbent – took part. Thank you very much for your generous hospitality. Everything we saw and heard complemented and extended the impressions we gained from the evidence you submitted. It was a great pleasure to witness the commitment, enthusiasm and teamwork you have brought to your eco church journey so far.”
The Revd Jenny Walpole, Priest in Charge said, “The Eco Team at St George’s are an inspiring group of people who in all honesty are further along on the journey than I am. They continue to encourage and challenge us as a community to do more and think more deeply about the environmental impact of the choices we make. I am also grateful for the legacy of Pope Francis who in his encyclical letter, Laudato Si reminds us of our shared responsibility to our Common Home. The world is a beautiful gift from God and it is our pleasure and our joy to care for creation.”
Following the inspection, the team were given some recommendations to work towards, which they hope to achieve in the next six months. Further activities and events are planned throughout 2025 and beyond, because Gold is not the end!
Sophie Roberts, Diocesan Environment Officer said, “A huge congratulations to St George’s! This is a huge achievement which a lot of effort went into, and I know the Eco Team has been so committed to spreading their passion both to their congregation and wider community. Continue to share the knowledge you’ve gained on your journey – and celebrate the win!”.
