We are delighted to have achieved the Bronze Eco Award in January 2026 and we are continuing to be committed to 'Creation Care' - in fact we'd like to achieve Silver!  

God loves his world and we do too - especially being in Blackpool, where we are so blessed to have access to such a beautiful coastline. As part of that love we, as a church community, have these actions in place: 

Recycling bins 

We have changed the way we handle rubbish and recycling in St Mary's. There is now 1 general waste bin and 4 recycling bins in the church entrance for: 

- tins, glass and plastic

- paper and card

- makeup and toiletries 

- blister packs from e.g. tablets packages including paracetamol, antacids, medicines etc.

Candle recycling

We have a box for recycling candles - both from church and congregation. These are taken to the Ukraine. The box is outside the little kitchen in the side chapel to the right of the communion table.   

Wildlife area

We have left an area to grow wild at the bottom end of our church garden, next to the church. We hope to continue to develop this and make it even better. 

Church engagement

We include tips for recycling and 'creation care' in our newsletters. 

We also pray for the environment in our intercessory prayers. Our vicar has created a booklet to help us pray for this in our personal prayers as well as for those who are on the Intercession Prayer rota. Copies to be available in the entrance - close to the 'How to' guides.   

Our Community 

We care about our environment and the people in it. To show our love for others, we have a box at the back of church in the meeting area where donations of unopened and well dated food (not fresh) is welcome. Our friends from the local food bank in Holy Cross collect these from us on a monthly/bi-monthly basis to distribute to those in need. 

Admin

While we don't have a church office or an administrator, we do have a very hardwoking photocopier! We recycle the ink cartridges in our plastics bin and the paper we use is FSC accredited. 

Our weekly news sheet, 'The Week Ahead' (TWA), and our quarterly newsletter, 'The Season Ahead' (TSA), are printed in limited numbers. In addition, we have a subscription list for those who want to have these emailed to them so that their virtual copy is at their fingertips on their phone, tablet or computer... and we save paper at the same time so it's a win-win!