The recent sunny weather we’ve been enjoying has allowed the garden in my home in South Queensferry to burst with life. Bees, butterflies, buttercups and the beginnings of raspberries forming on our bushes, mean that spring is rapidly turning to summer. So what does summer look like in your church garden or burial ground?
Much of church land has been protected from land management including the harmful additions of pesticides and herbicides. This means that the soil of church gardens and burial grounds is often very healthy and biodiverse.
Other churches may have little land, or nothing more than a concrete car park. However, there is always the opportunity for adding planters with wild flowers or herbs to brighten up the smallest of spaces.
The Naturesave Trust has a new round of grant availability specifically for community projects involving nature. They are look for grant applications from charities, community groups, and organisations who are working to connect communities to nature through:
🎭 Arts and cultural activities
🥬 Community gardening
🏃 Green gyms
😟 Eco anxiety and mental health
Training a community with green skills
🙋 Conservation volunteering
🌳 Urban nature programmes
🫶 Social prescribing
👩🦽➡️ Access to nature
🦉 Community wildlife surveys
🧘 Nature mindfulness
Funding Guidelines for The Naturesave Trust
Please do have a look into this opportunity if it could help your church start or continue a nature-based project.
If your church has a garden or burial ground, please consider signing up for the Churches Count on Nature week from 7th-15th June. There’s lots more information about how to get involved below:
Caring For God’s Acre – the conservation charity for burial grounds across the UK – Protecting Wildlife, Preserving Heritage, Involving People
Bethany Nelson, Empowerment Coordinator
