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What’s happening in the diocese

Caring for creation and responding to current environmental crises including the climate emergency is important to the diocese.

Chelmsford Diocese has a long history of environmental activity and has had an environmental policy for almost twenty years. 

On this page

Caring for God’s creation and responding to the negative effects of human behaviour on the environment, including responding to the climate emergency is becoming increasingly important to many within the diocese. 

This page describes people in the Chelmsford diocese involved environmental activity and responses to the climate emergency; policies, strategies and plans; our progress; and success stories.

Diocesan Environmental Policy

The Diocesan Environment Policy can be viewed on the link below. As we progress with our Carbon Net Zero 2030 project, we aim to review other diocesan policies to ensure they meet the aim of reducing carbon to net zero within the next decade.

Key contacts

The Diocesan lead for the environment is the Bishop of Colchester, the Rt Revd Roger Morris.

Day-to-day responsibility for the Carbon Net Zero 2030 project and general environmental enquiries rests with the Diocesan Environmental Officer, the Revd Sandra Eldridge. To contact Sandra, please email seldridge@chelmsford.anglican.org. 

If you would like to publicise an upcoming environmental event, or share a good news story, please contact the Diocesan Communications Team. 

Other Diocesan Documents

People and groups

Deanery Environmental Advocates

We are recruiting environmental advocates for each deanery and hope to have advocates in every deanery by October 2024. Deanery Advocates encourage churches in their deaneries with Eco church and on their paths to carbon net zero. They also encourage networking in the deanery. 

Some quotes from our advocates:

Michael Forbes (Waltham Forest): "Just having the title "Environmental Advocate" is a great inspiration to undertake the mission."  

Jacqui Hogger (Braintree):  "What I have gained from being an advocate is the awareness that caring for our Earth and Climate which is in great peril, need not be all doom and gloom. The privilege of being an Environmental Advocate enables the interaction between a diverse range of people, groups and organisations to realise that working together we can make a positive impact on the World around us for the good. Many small steps will lead to bigger strides." 

Click on the deanery name below for the name and email of the deanery environmental advocate: 

Diocesan Environment Group

The group meets several times a year to plan next steps, and review plans, strategies, and documents. The group is chaired by the Diocesan Environmental Lead, and works closely with the Diocesan Environmental Officer.

  • More about the Diocesan Environmental Group

    The group's role can be summarised using 5 "Cs": 

    Being a Catalyst for the little things we can do

    Contributing to making Campaigning accessible for all

    Contributing to keeping Carbon Net Zero on track

    Championing great ideas and great ways forward

    Encouraging Culture change in the diocese, and by churches and church members

     

 Net Zero Carbon Management Board 

The Board meets at least five times a year to implement and monitor the Net Zero Carbon Action Plan. The group is chaired by the Diocesan Environmental Lead, and works closely with the Diocesan Environmental Officer.

  • More about the Net Zero Carbon Management Board

    The principal aim of the Board is to encourage and enable an ever-increasing level of both awareness and positive action towards the decarbonisation of the Diocese, and the embedding of this within the spiritual life of all our communities, including churches and schools. 

    Members of the board:

    Bishop Roger Morris (chair)

    Michaela Southworth (Diocesan Secretary)

    Nathan Whitehead (Head of Service Delivery)

    Tom Geldard (Communication Manager)

    Alex Reeves (Property Manager)

    Simon Garnier (Senior Diocesan Surveyor)

    Peter Palmer (Schools Buildings and Organisation Officer)

    Elizabeth Marshall (Cathedral representative)

    Elizabeth Lowson (Clergy representative)

    Jason Frost (Lay representative)

    Katherine Ball (Lay representative)

    Sandra Eldridge (Diocesan Environmental Officer) 

    Paul Thomson (Net Zero Carbon Officer) 

     

Climate Action Now - monthly newsletters 

 

Good News Stories

St Mary's Bocking July 23rd 2023

Walk around Bocking, July 2023 

On July 23rd, St Mary's, Bocking, organised a gentle guided walk of 2.2 miles around the rural village of Bocking, taking in two natural historic power sources, one of which you can see in the photograph. Twenty five people across a range of ages took part, enjoying the area, wildlife and history mix. A fun addition for Junior Church members proved to be popular with all and quite competitive! Jacqui Hogger, who organised the walk says: "I was pleased with the response considering it was holiday season. Since the walk the feedback has been positive so much so I have been asked to organise another walk in October." 

St Anne's Chingford October 2023

Litter picking in Chingford, October 2023

A few times a year, members of St Anne's Chingford litter pick near the church. It's an activity that brings people together and makes it clear how much the church values their local environment.  

Solar Panels at St Gabriel's 2024

Solar Panels on St Gabriel's 2024

Sometimes patience is rewarded… Rev. Martyn Hawkes describes how a  change in local council policy enabled what St Gabriel's had been wanting to do for a long time.

"I arrived at St Gabriel’s in 2011.  Within that first year we had identified an ideal location for solar panels on the church hall roof, but at a meeting with local council planners were told that we would not be successful with a planning application in a conservation area in the curtilage of a listed building.

Time and climate crisis moves on, and we returned to the subject as part of our attempt to reduce our carbon footprint.  It was not a quick process, but we found the council in much more receptive mood. Whilst we recognise that solar panels are not going to make us carbon neutral, the installation has already produced 5.3 MWh of clean energy in less than 6 months. 

It’s not perfect - we’ve had significant issues with our supplier to get them to firstly put in the necessary smart meters, and then to process our application for feed-in-tariff. But, we have since day 1 been contributing clean energy to the grid, reducing our bills, and in time will receive money for energy that we generate but do not use ourselves.

The panels are also a visible sign of our commitment to creation care to the wider community.  In that respect, we believe the fact that they are not hidden is actually a positive contribution to the challenge to reach carbon zero as soon as possible in our country."


 

Eco Church Awards

Congratulations to those churches listed below that have registered for Eco Church or received Eco Church awards in 2024. To find out about Eco Church, how to register your church and how to work towards an award see here.

  • 2024 registrations

    St Andrew's Church, Marks Tey

    St Mary & St Edward Church,  West Hanningfield

    St Andrew's Church, Westcliff

    St Peter’s Parish Church, Bocking

    Christ Church, Warley

    St Francis Church, West Horndon

    All Saints Church,  Woodford Wells

    St Mary the Virgin Church, Shenfield

    St Laurence Priory Church, Blackmore

    St Nicholas' Church, Chignal Smealey

    St Mary's Church, Salcott cum Virley

    St Mary's Church, Tollesbury

    St Margaret of Antioch Church, Berechurch

    St Andrew's Church, White Colne

    St Michael and All Angels' Church, Galleywood

     

  • 2024 bronze awards

    St Andrew’s Upper Leytonstone

    St Francis West Horndon

    Meadgate Church, Great Baddow

    St Mary the Virgin Church, Shenfield

    All Saints' with St John's Church, Great Horkesley

    St Paul's Church, Bentley Common

    St Nicholas' Church, Witham

    All Saints Church, Stisted

    St Michael's Church, Braintree

    All Saints' Church, Brightlingsea

    St John the Baptist Church, Little Maplestead

    St Michael and All Angels' Church, Galleywood

    The Church of the Good Shepherd, Romford

    Saint Stephen's Church, Prittlewell

    Saint Cedd's Church, Westcliff

    Thaxted Parish Church

    St Paul's Church, Great Baddow

    St Mary the Virgin Church, Gestingthorpe

    St Andrew's Church, Boreham

     

  • 2024 silver awards

    St Andrew’s Church, Chelmsford

    St Mary's Church, Salcott cum Virley

    St Mary's Church, Tollesbury

    St Michael and All Angels' Church, Galleywood

    St. Andrew's Church, Sandon

    St Mary the Virgin Church, Great Baddow

    St Andrew's Church, Boreham

    Saint Peter's Church, Westcliff-on-Sea

    St Katherine's Church, Canvey Island

    St Nicholas Church, Canvey Island

    St Nicholas Church, Tillingham

    Christ Church Ireton Road, Colchester

For more information or to report anything wrong with this page please contact Revd Sandra Eldridge

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