A church in Usk has become the first in its diocese to be recognised by a charity for its work to protect the local environment after receiving a Gold Ecochurch Award.

The Priory Church of St. Mary, Usk, in the diocese of Monmouth, was given by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, and reflects St. Mary's commitment to walk in step with nature and put caring for God’s creation at the heart of all that it does.

St. Mary’s has installed new energy-efficient lighting and adheres to its own land management plan, ensuring that its worship and comprehensive diary of events are all in line with its eco desires and credentials.

They also only use Fairtrade produce.

Reverend Sally said, “Under Carol’s [the church’s Eco Lead] watchful care we have been able to live out our Christian faith in ways that give glory to God, whilst also demonstrating good stewardship of all that he has entrusted into our care.”

“We continue to strive for a world where humankind shows respect for nature, and does its utmost to use and share our resources fairly and wisely, just as God has asked of us. This has been a whole church effort and we are delighted to have achieved so much, with plenty more still to do”.

The church community led by Carol Southwell our “Eco Lead”, works in partnership with other local groups to ensure that every part of church and community life considers the environmental impact of its actions, and takes creative and thorough efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the church and ensure that God’s creation is treated with care and respect.

The assessors particularly commented on the team approach that the church demonstrated, with people focusing on property, worship, the churchyard, the church decorations, community connections, the toddler group, and many other parts of church life all taking responsibility for a cohesive and integrated approach. They also expressed excitement at the plans the church community has to continue to improve the eco credentials of the church.

The Priory Church of St. Mary said it would like to thank A Rocha UK for their ongoing encouragement and support, ensuring that the environment and its care is front and centre in all aspects of the congregation’s faith and Christian living.

A Rocha UK is a unique Christian nature conservation charity, mobilising Christians and churches to care for the natural world.

The charity runs the Eco Church scheme, which is a free online award scheme for churches of all denominations in England and Wales and helps churches link environmental issues and their Christian faith.

It has awards at three levels (bronze, silver, and gold) and considers how the environment is addressed within 5 key areas: worship and teaching, buildings and land, community and global engagement, and lifestyle. The Priory Church of St Mary is now one of over 8,500 registered churches across England and Wales, with over 4,000 awarded churches to date.