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St Peter’s Living Churchyard
Bat News
We are members of the Bat Conservation Trust
Read the latest issue of Bat News below:
Churches Count on Nature / Love Your Burial Ground Week
Sat 6 June – Sun 14 June 2026
Love your Burial Ground Week is a celebratory week which has been running for many years. Caring for God’s Acre has been encouraging all who help to look after churchyards, chapel yards and cemeteries to celebrate these fantastic places in the lovely month of June – in any way you choose. We’ve seen history talks, picnics, volunteering work parties and even abseiling teddy bears!
Churches Count on Nature 2026 is a nationwide audit of wildlife in churchyards, running at the same time as Love Your Burial Ground Week. It is a joint initiative promoted by Caring for God’s Acre, the Church of England, the Church in Wales and A Rocha UK.
St Peter’s has registered for Churches Count on Nature. Find out how to record and send observations of wildlife that you see in St Peter’s churchyard at:
https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/about-recording/add-your-records/
Spring Planting – May
Spring planting, plant swap and give-way in the Cottage’s garden on May 3rd. A large variety of plants – and cakes – were provided after the 10:00am service. Nearly all had gone by the end of the morning.
Energy from Waste presentation
Diane Green from ‘Gloucestershire Energy from Waste’ based at Javellin Park came to tell us how our waste is being turned into energy.
At least 50 people attended the talk, which was followed by Q&As and an animated discussion.
Eco Heating in the Cottages
The installation of the air source heat pump and new radiators in the Cottages was completed after Easter in April 2026. This means that the Church and Cottages are now fossil fuel free.
Survey of congregation’s Eco involvement
The results of our survey so far reveal that individual members of the congregation already engage with a variety of Environmental and Conservation charities. Most engagement is as a member or donor to a specific charity. Where people volunteered in some capacity for their chosen charity, it was for a local charity. And it was for local charities that others considered possibly volunteering in the future.
The local charity supported by most respondents is Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, closely followed by the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust (Slimbridge). But a couple of other local charities were mentioned, that others might consider working for: Friends of Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common (FOLK).
For practical action FOLK are involved in maintaining local footpaths, or you could join Cotswold Voluntary Wardens.
Nationally, the National Trust and RSPB are favourites, The Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Butterfly Conservation Trust, the Woodland Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society are also mentioned.
World Wildlife Fund and Water Aid feature most in the international category. Others are Practical Action, Christian Aid, Tearfund and Unicef, which you may have heard of. In this category, there was a list of global environmental charities some of which I personally had not heard or thought of, which you
might like to consider supporting: Blue Marine Foundation, Client Earth, Cool Earth Action, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, The Climate Change Organisation, The Climate Movement, Climate Stewards, Green Alliance, Rainforest Foundation, World Land Trust. Perhaps we as a church might like to think about choosing one of these to focus on and raise funds for in the coming year?
The survey threw up a few suggestions of projects that we as a church might become involved with. The Eco-Group has already encouraged us to participate in the Butterfly Conservation Trust’s Big Count and we are liaising with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust about possible joint projects. On the international
front, it has been suggested that: we might join WaterAid’s ‘End Cholera for Good in Zambia’ project.
2025 Churchyard Plant Survey shows increase in biodiversity
View the latest wildlife observations from the churchyard on iNaturalist here.
Ben Gilchrist has completed his annual survey of the plants in the churchyard. Full results can be found on the Churchyard Plant Survey webpage.
Here is the updated plant survey!! I’ve decided to begin a grasses column, which could be useful to see the changing structure of our grassland as the management techniques change.
I didn’t expect a massive increase in species numbers, as we’re probably reaching a sort of plateau. It’s great to see wilder areas of the churchyard, and the species we have listed really reflect that increased wildness leads to increased biodiversity. And it’s not just flowers: I’m pleased to say that in the wilder areas our insects are thriving, and I noticed particularly several promising butterfly species, including Common Skippers and many Gatekeeper butterflies, which are great markers of good grassland.
Ben Gilchrist.