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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.
Bat News
We have signed up to the Bat Conservation Trust
| Donate to our Spring Appeal in aid of the National Bat Helpline The last few months have been the most challenging of my life due to family illness. I have received messages and practical support from across the bat conservation community; I cannot begin to tell you how much that has meant to me. It is that spirit of supporting each other that is one of our greatest strengths. Gareth Jones (pages 12–15) is a great example of someone who has done that throughout his career by encouraging many to get involved in bat conservation. He has also championed another vital aspect of bat conservation, namely the importance of science. Hannah Romanowski’s article (pages 10–11), looking at how insect declines may be impacting bat species, is a great example of the importance of research, as are the long-term studies that have been happening at Woodchester Mansion. I was fascinated to read about the latest genetic research taking place there (pages 16–17). Even if you are not a scientist, there are lots of opportunities to get involved in collecting the vital data that researchers need through the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP). You can read about the Roost Count surveys on pages 18–19, and do look at our website here for the other surveys you can get involved with. Apart from being a BCT member and becoming a citizen scientist with the NBMP, there are other ways to help bat conservation. One of these is by helping to make gardens and green spaces more bat and wildlife-friendly; this will be one of our core messages at our garden at RHS Chelsea this year (pages 21–24 and 28–29). This great opportunity to engage with gardeners was only made possible by funding from Project Giving Back.Going back to the theme of support, one of the greatest examples is the work done by the National Bat Helpline. This vital service helps to save thousands of bats each year, but also helps to educate and inform thousands of people about why they should care about bat conservation. You can read more about the amazing work they do here. The National Bat Helpline is only possible thanks to your donations, and this year we need to raise a minimum of £10,000 to help run the service. If you can, please donate by clicking the link below. Donate Now I’ll finish by saying thank you for being part of this amazing community of people. I am always heartened and reassured by all the work done by bat groups (pages 6–9), so if you haven’t joined yours yet, I would encourage you to do so. You can find details of your local bat group on our website here, where you can search using your postcode. By joining your group, not only will you find out more about the bats in your area, but you will also discover a community who, just like you, care about bat conservation and each other. Thank you for everything you do for bat conservation as a member of BCT. With kind regards, Dr. Joe Nunez-Mino Director of Communications and Fundraising |
Read the latest issue of Bat News below:
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.