Both of our churches at Haverhill and Withersfield hold a BRONZE award from the Eco Church project at A Rocha UK, which helps us to understand our responsibility to care for God's creation and the ways in which can do that better as a church community.

This includes a range of activities, including reducing our environmental impact as churches, using the resources we have available to promote the local ecology, and encourage people to take responsibility in their own lives for their stewardship of God's gifts.

So, for example, we have:

• Appointed an interim eco-church officer to help us think through the implications of the eco-church survey and share the results more widely.
• Established a wildflower area at Withersfield, which will allow a greater diversity of flowers and plants to grow, which will encourage other insect and bird life and enrich the soil.
• Stopped using floral foam in our flower arrangements at Haverhill, and trying to use locally grown or sourced flowers where possible.
• Been working with local organisations to promote initiatives around energy saving, caring for wildlife, and other environmental initiatives.
• Continued to pray for our link diocese of Kagera in Tanzania, and particularly for their environmental sustainability.

Your interim eco-church officer for summer 2025 is Charlotte Kalinsky, who is helping us to think about our care for God's creation in the benefice.