The members of Frome Wesley Church are concerned about the climate crisis and have been working on becoming more environmentally aware. Having gained their bronze award in 2021, the church was determined to go one step further and has now been awarded the Silver Eco Church Award.
The eco team at the church addressed several areas which helped them achieve this new status. Reverend Margaret Crawshaw said, “Committing to hold an annual Environment Sunday service and using recycled toilet paper, environmentally friendly cleaning products and LED lights all helped. We’re also looking at other areas such as the introduction of a small pond, further litter picks and local walks, and we’re continuing with “No Mow May”.”
In advance of Great Big Green Week in June, the Church received two ‘pads’ of wildflower seeds from the Fairtrade Foundation – one to sow in the wildlife area of the churchyard, and one to present to ward Cllr Mark Dorrington, together with a letter seeking his support on global climate change.
Reverend Crawshaw said, “These seeds are a reminder that we can work with farmers around the world to plant the seeds of change needed to tackle the unfair climate crisis, which most affects those communities who have done the least to cause it.”
Cllr Dorrington added: “As the lead councillor for Frome Town Council’s Open Spaces, but also because of my family’s connection with Wesley, I’m delighted to see the church achieve this new status and thrilled with the invite to come and plant the seeds. The Town Rangers will take the other seeds to plant, and we’ll see the wild flowers flourish, which we know is incredibly important for biodiversity. If we all had a wild section in our gardens and open spaces this would make an incredible difference for the biodiversity across the town.”
Take a look at the Wild about Frome page on Frome Town Council’s website to see how residents can support Frome’s Wildlife and biodiversity: www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/wild-about-frome
