We have successfully applied for a hedgerow pack of trees for our churchyard that will arrive in March. Thank you, Helen, for spotting that and applying.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/
Rose is also working hard on the designs for our pond and they have gone to the Diocese for approval.
Statement of need – pond
We are very fortunate to have a lovely churchyard surrounding St Helen’s Church. It is a wonderful peaceful place to spend a little time, and many people do. It is very much appreciated by the local community. We have a labyrinth to aid contemplation located under the old oak tree at the far end of the churchyard and, to make it a real area of tranquillity, we would like to add to this to make it somewhere that, those who want to, can just sit and think and be surrounded by God’s beauty in nature.
We would like to add a pond into the far corner of the churchyard, with landscaping and planting, to attract all sorts of wildlife – frogs, newts, dragonflies and damsel flies, not to mention giving foxes, birds and other mammals and insects a place to drink. We feel that this will enhance and utilise an area of ground that is quite often waterlogged.
This also fits in perfectly with our Eco Church project at St Helen’s Church. Eco Church is in collaboration with *A Rocha and the Eco Church Network and focuses on five key areas of church life:
Worship and teaching
Management of church buildings
Management of church land
Community and global engagement
Lifestyle
The addition of a pond obviously falls into the management of church land. We have applied for our gold award, and if granted, will be the first church on the Isle of Wight with this accreditation.
The area will be well managed with a low fence around the area to prevent risk to small children. There will be a life ring available and suitable signage but most importantly there will be a focus of beauty and nature in the corner instead of a spoil heap!
*A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world, both as a response to the biblical mandate to care for the earth, and as a demonstration of the Christian hope for God’s world. Part of the worldwide family of A Rocha organizations committed to conservation action as an expression of Christian mission, we work collaboratively with others who share our passion for the planet and its people, and our desire for their mutual flourishing.
The Haven Eco-Church 