St. David’s Church in Loughor becomes first gold Eco Church in Diocese of Swansea and Brecon

[Church in Wales] St. David’s Church in Loughor, Wales, in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, has become the 75th Gold Eco Church in England and Wales.

The award was given by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, and reflects St. David’s commitment to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of its mission.

While there are more than 8,000 registered churches with Eco Church, St. David’s is only the third gold award in Wales to date and the first in the diocese.

St. David’s has adapted its worship to regularly include messages and hymns about creation care, and has changed from printed worship sheets to TV screens. Regular community litter picks and recycling points for harder-to-recycle items have been established for a number of years involving the wider community, and its solar panels and associated battery storage, LED lighting, water saving, and toilet and bin twinning have been described as “great examples to demonstrate to others.”

Helen Stephens, Eco Church’s church relations manager, said, “Our huge congratulations to St. David’s Church, Loughor, on their well-deserved gold Eco Church award. Becoming a gold Eco Church is not an easy journey, and they are an example of the dedication and perseverance that is required to reach this accolade.

“By remaining focused on the biblical mandate to care for God’s creation and love your neighbor, we hope other churches will join them in taking action to care for this amazing world. We wish them all the best as they celebrate their award.”

St. David’s was also praised for improving the limited land around the church for wildlife — including the presence of several bird boxes and feeding stations, bug hotels and a “messy corner” — and also for people, with a recycled church pew from its closed sister church at St. Michael’s for quiet contemplation alongside the fruit trees and herb beds.

A Rocha UK aims to equip churches and individuals to create a movement to help restore biodiversity at a local level in this critical decade for the climate. Now, in its ninth year, the Eco Church award scheme brings together a national community of churches addressing the environmental crisis, using a common framework and an online toolkit to learn and speak up together.