We are delighted at St. Andrew’s Dacre to have recently been awarded a Bronze Eco Church award. Furthter information regarding Eco Church can be found here,
Eco Church is a scheme run by A Rocha UK, equipping churches to care for God’s creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles.
There are five areas that a church must demonstrate environmental engagement with to receive an award:
- Worship and teaching.
- Management of church buildings.
- Management of church land.
- Community and global engagement.
- Lifestyle.
(C) Image from Stainton C of E School – used with kind permission.
Eco Initatives At St. Andrews
Listed below are a few of the Eco schemes we have implemented at St. Andrew’s:
- A wildflower garden in the old churchyard as well as establishing a mowing regime in that area to create conservation.
- For coffee and tea, the suggestion is to use Fairtrade products – donations for cleaning products and toilet rolls would preferably be Fairtrade as well. Fairtrade is system of certification that aims to ensure a set of standards are met in the production and supply of a product or ingredient.
- Promote ECO Church in the community newsletter (recycling).
- Having a stall at the Dalemain Harvest Festival and Stainton School Fete where we promote Fairtrade products / encourage recycling / arawness of protecting endangered animals and plants at the same time having fun!
- Using/installing a water butt for use in the churchyard.
- LED bulbs in the Church lighting system.
- For PCC meetings the use of recycled paper for printing.
- For morning worship, the use of pre-printed templates instead of printing off booklets each time.
- Promote Earth Hour, an event held annually, encouraging individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric items, for one hour, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Eco Survey 2024
On the 13th In June 2024, students and teachers from Stainton Church of England school joined staff from St. Andrew’s to assist with an Eco Survey of the Flura and Fauna to be found in the churchyard.
(C) Image from Stainton C of E School – used with kind permission.
The results of the the survey are shown below (the weather on the days of the survey were overcast with occasional rain showers).
| Plants Flowering plants Speedwell, Bush vetch, Buttercups, Yellow rattle, Sorrel, Ivy, Garlic, Mustard, Meadow foxtail, Meadow cranesbill, Lady’s mantle, Common yarrow, Ox-eye daisy, Cow parsley, Hogweed, Climbing rose, European honeysuckle, Lords and lady’s, Smooth bedstraw, Red clover, Meadow cranesbill, Forget-me-not, Hairy violet, Dandelions, Hair bell, Common vetch, Sheepssorrel, Crosswort, Ivy, Leaved toad flax. |
| Grasses Yorkshire fog, Goosegrass, Moss, Nettles, Dock, Thistles, Ferns, Wild mint, |
| Trees: Yew, Holly, Wild Rose, Cherry, Whitebeam, Box, Elder, Spruce, Silver birch, Sycamore, Stone pine, Elderflower, Ash, Hazel, Hornbeam, Cypress tree. |
| Insects: Green fly,House Fly, Slug, Snail, Red ant, Brown ant, Woodlouse, Midges, Mosquito, Beetle, Dragonfly, Spider, Daddy longlegs, Moth, Cricket, Harvester |
| Birds: Raven, Blue tit (chick), Magpie, Crows, Blackbird. |
(C) Image From Stainton C of E School – used with kind permission