Gold Award for St Wilfrid’s Calverton

 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

Sunday 27th was a day of celebration for St Wilfrid’s Calverton as after many years of hard work, they were presented with a Gold Award from A Rocha UK as an Eco Church. This is the first Gold Award in our Diocese and one of only a small number across the UK.

A Rocha explains on their website that ‘Achieving gold means that creation care is embedded in the life of a church for the long term. To achieve this, churches must reach a gold level across all five categories of the Eco Church survey that apply to them, as well as showcase their activities by presenting supporting evidence to sit alongside their survey.’

For St Wilfird’s Calverton this has included a number of projects over the years including installing bike racks, planting trees, creating bird boxes, holding services outdoors and much more. Beyond the individual parts, the award reflects an outstanding commitment to embedding the culture and practice of caring for God’s creation across the church.

Archdeacon Phil Williams and our Diocesan Environment Officer Robert Cleave attended the morning service to present the award and encourage the church in all they are doing. Fittingly Vicar Revd Sam Hustwayte started a new series on the kingdom of God and referenced the verse for the year Corinthians 12:27 ‘ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”, encouraging how each person has a unique part to play in bringing Living Hope to Calverton and beyond.

Robert Cleave shared, “This is a great achievement for St Wilfrid’s and means that they are having a tremendous impact Caring For Creation. StWilfrid’s had to demonstrate to A Rocha auditors their embedded environmental actions across the categories of Buildings, Land, Teaching & Worship, Lifestyle and Community & Global Engagement. There are only around 50 such churches nationally so St Wilfrid’s and their eco team are very much leading the way.”

There are number of churches across our diocese working towards Gold Awards, and we hope this great news inspires and encourages all on their journey. Use the link below to find out more about caring for creation.

find out more about Caring for Creation