Published on: 21/05/2026
We are delighted to announce that Diocesan Church House has received a Silver Eco Church Award from A Rocha UK. This award builds on the Bronze Award received in 2023 and is an important step for the Diocese of Sheffield towards the Silver Eco Diocese award.
The Staff Eco Group have worked to build on that Bronze Award and embed a culture of care for creation. A major project for the Team has been developing part of the Church House grounds to make it more environmentally friendly and enjoyable for staff and visitors. A new raised bed was installed earlier this year, along with a bird feeder and log pile for insects. The area was made even better by the arrival of one of the Globes that had been on display outside Sheffield Cathedral as part of Triangle of Unity Programme. The beautiful design by students of Rossington All Saints Academy and Rossington St Michael’s CofE Primary School is a wonderful addition.
Other projects have included:
- Great Big Green Week (taking place this year from 8-14 June) is now an essential part of the annual calendar and has been a gateway to building a culture and momentum around care for the environment.
- Work to act on litter around Church House, which continues and has made a noticeable difference.
- Church House is located next to the River Don and Citizen Science activities have become very popular among the team including Big Garden Birdwatch, The Big Butterfly Count and The Big River Watch. These have brought a new appreciation of the river and wildlife around it. Sightings have included swifts, egrets, and a large number of sandmartins.
- A growing number of staff have undergone Carbon Confidence training to understand the essentials of climate science and how action forms an integral part of our mission.
The Eco Church team at A Rocha UK have praised the work of the staff at Church House and noted the clear progression from the Bronze award:
“You are clearly making a difference and also valuing the natural surroundings near the office. We were delighted to read about the engagement with the River Don and sightings of bird life, including sandmartins and swallows.”
Feedback to the Church House Team from A Rocha UK
As well as new projects, the feedback also highlighted the importance of everyday contributions such as care being taken with waste, purchasing and in particular noted that our milk delivered in bottles!
The team look forward to celebrating the silver award as part of this year’s Great Big Green Week programme of events in June.
Canon Dr Cathy Rhodes, Diocesan Environment Officer, said:
“I am so happy that Church House has just been awarded a Silver Eco Church Award. It is a huge achievement and shows such progress in the three years since the Bronze Award was given. I give thanks for the Church House Staff Eco Group who have worked so hard alongside the rest of the team to show that care for God’s Creation is a crucial part of our Diocesan life. This is a big step towards our Silver Eco Diocese Award! Thank you everyone.”
Sally Hunter, Environment Project Coordinator and Member of the Staff Eco Group said:
“It is wonderful that the team at Church House can take part in the Eco Church programme alongside the churches we support. We hope that staff and visitors will enjoy the visible changes to the outside space but there are so many small changes behind the scenes that we hope will make a difference. Being part of this work has been a really joyful experience.”
To find out more about and join the growing number of Eco Churches in our Diocese, please see https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/ or contact the Diocesan Environment Team on environment.admin@sheffield.anglican.org.
