Christ Church Swindon Strikes Gold for Creation Care 🌿✨

We are thrilled to announce that Christ Church Swindon has been awarded the A Rocha UK Eco Church Gold Award – the highest level of recognition for a church’s commitment to caring for God’s creation.

This award is given only after a thorough and rigorous assessment across five key areas: worship and teaching, management of church buildings, management of church land, community and global engagement, and lifestyle. Achieving Gold in each area means that creation care is truly embedded in the life of our church – not just in what we say, but in what we do.

Christ Church is now one of only 111 churches across the UK to receive the Gold Award, the third in the Diocese of Bristol, and the first in Swindon. The assessment team described us as “a beacon Christian community, inspiring other churches to make a similar journey in their own context.”

A team effort, years in the making

This success is the result of years of vision, prayer, and action from many people. Our dedicated Eco Team, led by Anne Grainger, has been at the heart of this work – coordinating projects, inspiring the congregation, and keeping us moving forward.

Anne said:

“We are very happy to receive this award as it shows we are moving in the right direction; this is not the finish line but a milestone on our journey to help protect the earth for future generations, and to inspire others to do the same.”

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many local eco and wildlife organisations who have supported and partnered with us throughout this journey. Their expertise, encouragement, and collaboration have been invaluable in helping us achieve this milestone. We look forward to continuing these strong partnerships as we work together in our community to care for God’s creation.

We also recognise with gratitude the contribution of many others over the years – including creation care pioneers such as Owen Barraclough and Margaret Williams, as well as the leadership of Phil Mansfield as our previous PCC Chair. We thank God for the inspiration of Martin Palmer, and for the encouragement and support of our Old Town Partnership of Churches and Swindon Deanery colleagues.

Encouragement from the Diocese

The Rt Revd Neil Warwick, Suffragan Bishop of Swindon, congratulated the church, saying:

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Christ Church Swindon for becoming the first church building in Swindon to receive this status, joining two other congregations in the diocese who have been commended for their attentiveness to environmental justice. This is a wonderful example of how our church communities are responding to the cry of the earth and I am pleased that their hard work has been recognised in this way.”

What is Eco Church?

Eco Church is an initiative of A Rocha UK, a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world. The scheme encourages churches to integrate environmental care into every aspect of church life – from the way buildings are heated and powered, to how the land is managed, to how creation care is taught and lived out.

Looking to the future

The Revd Canon Simon Stevenette, Vicar of Christ Church with St Mary’s, said:

“This achievement is the result of years of prayer, action, and partnership. We are deeply thankful for all who have worked so hard to help us reach this point – from those who inspired our creation care journey many years ago, to the many volunteers and community partners who have been part of our mission. We are honoured to be recognised in this way, and humbled by the responsibility to inspire others in caring for God’s creation.”

Receiving the Gold Award is not the end of the story – it is a significant step on a much longer journey. We will continue working with our community partners and congregation to find new ways to reduce our environmental impact, support biodiversity, and encourage others to join us in caring for the earth.

We give thanks to God for His creation, and for the opportunity to serve Him by protecting and renewing it.

Find out more about the Christ Church Eco Group and get involved HERE

Find out more about the Eco Church movement here: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk