REWILDING YOUR CHURCHYARD: Churches on the Case

St Matthew’s, Bro Noddfa Newydd Ministry Area

We want the area to be what it wants to be.

Committing to rewilding areas can be a fine line between the churchyard looking messy and wanting those new flowers to grow and prosper. It is important to be especially mindful of areas with new graves which should be more well-kept to be sensitive to the bereaved.

Vicar of St Matthew’s, Rev’d Stephen Bodycombe said, “We have left areas that look quite natural in a wilder state anyway. I think the key is in any churchyard is to be sensitive to both the nature flourishing and the practical use of an active churchyard. The rewilding areas of the churchyard attract lots of pollinating bees and so on so it is definitely benefitting from being left. It is part of our attempt to look after God’s creation and have it as it’s meant to be.”

St Augustine’s, Penarth Ministry Area

We see it as a part of our ongoing stewardship of our little bit of God’s world.

The churchyard at St Augustine’s, Penarth, has been a hive of activity for rewilding and encouraging wildlife by not just the congregation, but also the wider community.

Over 50 people from congregation and community contribute to the maintenance of the rewilding churchyard and are coordinated by Penarth’s local nature conservancy group. The churchyard is rigged with nesting boxes, speakers to encourage swifts and designated places where reptiles, snakes and slow-worms can hide.

Priest of St Augustine’s Fr Mark Jones said, “It has been a wonderful way of engaging with the community. The congregation at St Augustine’s wasn’t able to do it all on its own so it was a wonderful thing to be able to get other people involved. We have made a lot of connections with it and people have come to church because of it. We’ve had local primary schools visiting, bird and bat evenings, picnics and church events carried out in the churchyard.”

St. Ilan’s Church, Caerphilly

It’s just really trying to do our little bit to help with global warming.

Caerphilly and Aber Valley Ministry Area hold ‘A Rocha UK’, ‘Green Flag’ and ‘RHS In Bloom’ awards and statuses. They have done this by providing flourishing habitats for wildlife like the wildflower areas in St Ilan’s grounds. They also use their wild churchyard areas for conservation research and teaching experiences, bringing in a butterfly preservation expert and a native bugs and plant specialist to give talks. Local schools and children are invited to learn about and enjoy the blossoming nature in the churchyards.

Rev’d Pauline Smith said, “I think churches are untapped resources and natural habitats. And we can put little things in place like bird boxes, we’ve got lots of hedgehogs and different animals that come and thrive really in our church.”

Top 5 Tips

1. Know your surroundings.

Do some research on the plants and wildlife that thrive in your area. Plant native wildflowers, trees and shrubs that are suited to your area. Is your churchyard coastal and exposed to sea air? Wooded? Moorland? Urban?

2. Create wildlife habitats.

What animals might you need to accommodate for? Do some research and put up bird and bat boxes, bug and reptile houses and hedgehog holes accordingly. This can be a good way of involving local groups, schools and children.

3. Let it grow!

Have some areas of long grass and let mosses and lichen grow. Keep track of what is growing and harvest wildflower seeds to spread.

4. Keep the churchyard safe and functional.

Be aware of the most used areas of your churchyard and new graves. Watch out for brambles on pathways, poison ivy, fungi etc. that may be hazardous to users.

5. Make it a team effort.

Are there local gardening or conservation groups who you can collaborate with? Be resourceful with local expertise and enthusiasm.

For advice and resources on rewilding your churchyard go to: www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk

Churches across Wales can now register to participate in Churches Count on Nature, an annual scheme where people visit churchyards and record the plant and animal species they encounter. The biodiversity survey, supported by environmental charities A Rocha UK and Caring for God’s Acre, as well as the Church in Wales and the Church of England, will take place from June 3-11 2023, in line with the Churches Unlocked Festival.