As the climate crisis grows, an initiative to make church buildings across the Durham diocese more environmentally friendly is making good progress. PETER BARRON goes exploring…
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all...
AS a keen birdwatcher and wildlife photographer in his spare time, Rick Simpson always takes his binoculars and camera with him, no matter where he may be in the world.
“I just love everything about nature," he smiles. "I get as much pleasure from seeing a sparrow hopping around as I do from spotting a rare species.”
It is, therefore, no coincidence that The Venerable Rick Simpson – to give the Archdeacon of Auckland his full title – should have a particular focus on how the Church of England is responding to the climate crisis in his adopted North East.
As the environmental lead for the Durham Diocese, he’s got a large network of church buildings, from Tyne to Tees, in his sights – helping them to play their part in creating a greener, more sustainable future.
“If, as Christians, we believe that God is the creator, then we have a clear responsibility to protect what he’s created and look after the planet,” he reasons.
Rick’s passion for nature really took flight when he moved to Newcastle in his twenties and discovered the rugged beauty of the Northumberland coast.
While walking at Druridge Bay, he saw and heard his first curlews and oystercatchers, and was hooked.
“That was it – I'd caught the bug, and I’ve loved this part of the world ever since,” he says.
Rick grew up in the Surrey village of Ashtead, where he discovered Christianity through attending Bible classes when he was at primary school.
“Something like 100 kids gathered there. I made a lot of friends, including God," he explains.
He went on to study at Keble College, Oxford, and moved to the North East in 1993, when his wife, Rachel Lunney – now a GP – got her first medical role as a senior house officer at the Newcastle hospitals.
Rick’s first job in the Church was as curate at St Gabriel’s in Heaton, before becoming Priest-in Charge at Holy Trinity, in Jesmond, then St Brandon’s at Brancepeth, in Durham.
He was installed as Archdeacon of Auckland at Durham Cathedral in February 2018, and his love of the North East has continued to grow.
The Durham diocese has agreed four priorities: growing the church; working with children and young people; engaging with poverty in communities; and 'Caring for God’s Creation'.
It is the latter that focuses attention on sustainability, tying in with the national call from the Church of England to be net zero by 2030.
Durham’s strategy has included the key appointment of Bethan Still as its first Diocesan Environmental Officer.
Brought up in Darlington, with a love of the outdoors, Bethan took up the role after working as Public Rights of Way Officer for Darlington Borough Council.
The data is the foundation being used to develop action plans for the buildings, with churches in the top 20 per cent of emissions being prioritised.
The diocesan office, Cuthbert House, on the outskirts of Durham City, has led the way by already becoming a net zero building, with solar panels, air source heat pumps, and electric car charging points.
A tool being used to get churches thinking about environmental responsibility is the Eco Church award scheme, a framework provided by the specialist charity,
All churches in the diocese are being actively encouraged to sign up to the programme.
Up to now, 95 churches in the diocese have engaged with the Eco Church initiative, with 40 achieving the bronze award, and seven silver. Hart Church, near Hartlepool, has the distinction of becoming the first gold award winner, and St Stephen’s, at Willington, has applied for gold.
Durham is a bronze diocese, but there’s a clear determination to strive for silver and then gold.
“The Church of England has struggled to engage with young people, but a lot of young people are rightly very concerned about the environment," Rick points out. "If the Church doesn’t share those concerns, then it becomes irrelevant."
And, as someone still in her 20s, Bethan has been pleasantly surprised at the level of engagement from churches across the diocese.
“I think it encourages people when they see a young person involved in this stuff, and I haven’t encountered half as much opposition as I expected. People want to do their bit,” she says.
Another key appointment has seen the Rev Claire Gibbs become ‘Creation Care Officer’, combining her role as Priest-in-Charge of the parishes of Escomb, Etherley, Witton le Wear and Hamsterley.
She spends two days of her week on the environmental aspects of her role, and a main focus of her effort is working with schools.
Meanwhile, the rules have also been “loosened” around rewilding church yards, with wildflowers and grasses being planted to create habitats for birds and insects, along with hedgehog houses, bat-boxes, and bird-boxes.
“Churchyards are often the only green space for communities, and a lot of them are environmental gems, so we need to develop them,” explains Rick.
"But in a way that balances the need for rewilding without causing people to view the churchyard as 'messy'," interjects Bethan.
A project to install 32 swift nesting boxes in the belfry at All Saints Church, at Hurworth-on-Tees, along with audio equipment to simulate the mating cry of the declining species, is cited as an example of the more open approach.
Holy Trinity Church, at Darlington, is due to follow suit with similar swift action.
The Church is also keen to show leadership in wider community projects, and Rick recently had the honour of being invited by Durham Wildlife Trust to officially open and bless Bishop’s Fen, a new nature reserve comprising 23 hectares of improved wetland habitats to the south of Bishop Middleham.
“That’s such a wonderful project because it’s about creating space for individuals and families, so I was thrilled to be asked," he says.
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"I’ve been so impressed by the community engagement, and the energy that's been generated – it’s just fabulous.”
“For a lot of people, nature already plays a huge part in their faith. The Church needs to nurture that, recognise the urgency of the environmental crisis, and be seen to be playing its part.”
...Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings.
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings
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