Eco-friendly community action as St Mary's creates a church for the future

Photograph of a church
St Mary the Virgin Wiveton

National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £10,000 to £250,000

Dyddiad a ddyfarnwyd
Lleoliad
Coastal
Awdurdod Lleol
North Norfolk
Ceisydd
Wiveton Parochial Church Council
Rhoddir y wobr
£135997
An Eco Church in Norfolk aims to prepare and inspire communities throughout the climate emergency, working across heritage, conservation and environmental sectors.

Following the collapse of a large medieval roof onto an altar in 2019, St Mary’s Church was in need of urgent repairs. Wiveton Parochial Church Council will pair the restorative work with a programme of nature conservation activities, as well as holding a Diocesan Environmental Conference to encourage other places of worship to increase their positive impact on the environment.

‘Wiveton – A Church For The Future’ will run a series of conservation activities and enable staff to deliver guided walks. These will culminate in the hosting of a conference to share ideas on areas such as reducing a buildings’ carbon footprint and encouraging greater biodiversity.

We will use this wonderful opportunity to fully engage with the local community of all ages and to share, promote and celebrate the built and natural heritage of the building.”

Charles Killin, member of Wiveton Parochial Church Council

Our funding will help it do even more, including:

  • a series of churchyard conservation tasks and activities, such as haymaking, bird and bat box installation, talks and guided walks
  • delivering activities for children and young people by hosting a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) day, as well as creating a heritage and nature trail
  • supporting volunteer training and learning to improve visitor engagement with the building and conservation areas

Charles Killin, member of Wiveton Parochial Church Council said: “We will use this wonderful opportunity to fully engage with the local community of all ages and to share, promote and celebrate the built and natural heritage of the building.”