Below is an update and reflection from St Mary-the-Virgin, Silchester about their partnership with Silchester School to green their churchyard.
June 8th–14th is Caring for God’s Acre week when churches across the country are encouraged to celebrate the variety of nature species to be found in our churchyards and focus on our responsibilities to care for the beautiful world that God made. As in 2024, St Mary-the-Virgin turned to the Eco Council of Silchester School for their help to complete a nature count and to take some positive action to protect and grow the diversity of what lives in the churchyard, since, as Eco Council told Revd Karen “without wildlife, our world can’t survive”.
Ahead of the half-term break Revd Karen had met with the 14 members of Eco Council, representing each year group, to ask what they would like to do on the morning planned for June 9th. A long list of ideas was created, and with thanks to the late Doreen Atton who had left a gift in her will to the church, we were able to purchase all that was needed.
As the children and adult helpers walked from and to school (along a thankfully dry Drove!) a litter pick took place, and then once at the churchyard, teams spread out with binoculars and magnifying glasses to see what we could spot. We are able to send a long list of 21 different species to the Caring for God’s Acre organisation including kites, grasshoppers, worms, buttercups, woodlice and honeybees. We then planted pots of flowers to attract bees and butterflies which we placed along one of the outer walls of the church.
For many children, the highlight of the day was the installation of a hedgehog house, complete with straw bedding and, outside the house, a water bowl. The children learned new things hedgehogs from Denise, one of Revd Karen’s friends – as they told us on the way back to school, “we didn’t know they can swim” and “it was interesting to find out that hedgehogs can climb – but not in a straight line”. To reward their support for hedgehogs each Council representative and the Eco Council as a whole were awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
Another often mentioned highlight of the day was the installation of a freestanding pond, complete with a variety of water plants. Eco Council representatives had obviously been listening well to Denise since they reminded the adults to “put some bricks into the pond to enable hedgehogs to climb out, since they are sure to find their way to the water”.
When you’re next in the churchyard do have a look at the children’s work.
And their unanimous verdict on the morning’s hard work? “We loved it – all of it”; “it was great fun” and “I love gardening, and I wish we could do this every day!”
