Good News Spotlight: Young People Achieve Bronze Eco Award for St Mary Magdalene Sutton-In-Ashfield

St Mary Magdalene is proud to have achieved the A Rocha Bronze Eco Church Award, an introductory certification recognising churches in England and Wales that demonstrate a foundational commitment to environmental stewardship and caring for creation.

TThe church’s Eco Church journey began in September 2025 and was successfully completed in December 2025. The project was driven by a group of young people passionate about caring for creation, bringing together a collaborative effort between the youth and the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

Adam Proctor, youth leader for the project, shared:
“Through practical changes, awareness-raising, and shared responsibility, we steadily transformed our approach to caring for God’s creation. I’d like to say a big thank you to both Reverend Julie and the PCC for their help and collaboration, and I look forward to the future of the Eco Church journey.”

Rev Julie Cotterill, vicar of St Mary Magdalene Sutton-in-Ashfield also added:

“We are extremely proud of all the work done by Adam Proctor our Eco-church champion, in achieving the Bronze award from A Rocha.  Adam is so passionate about Caring For Creation and has put in a lot of effort and hard work into gaining the award, giving  presentations to our PCC and church and leading a small team of young people.  It is the young people who are leading the way in our church in Caring for Creation and they are a real inspiration to us all.”

Good News Spotlight is a regular feature in our diocesan communications that highlights and celebrates God’s work in parishes across the diocese. If your church has a good news story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with us here.