A Norton church is working towards its 'silver award' for its work in helping to improve the environment.

Since January 2022, the congregation of Norton Trinity Methodist Church has been registered with Eco Church, an award scheme for churches in England and Wales.

Church member Janice Clark said the aim was to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth.

Janice said: "There’s more to being a church, than meeting on a Sunday for worship.

"The congregation is very proud to have achieved the bronze award within 12 months of registering. "There are five aspects to the scheme: Worship and teaching, Management of church buildings, Management of church land, Community and global engagement and Lifestyle. The church members have completed two surveys of their personal lifestyle in relation to the climate crisis."

Janice said Trinity was already a Fair Trade church, which is one aspect of being an Eco Church.

"The next action was to twin all six of the toilets, plus a toilet in Norton Hive, through Toilet Twinning. an initiative which invites people to "twin" their own toilet with latrines in poor communities. This was quickly achieved within six months.

"Two Green Weekends have been held at the end of September, 2022 and 2023. Saturday mornings focused on involvement with local community groups who, like Trinity, engage in various aspects of conservation and environmental activities. Derwent Diggers, Beecham Weigh, Library of Things, Clothing Bank, Ryedale Remake, Malton in Bloom, Ryedale Environment Group and Fair Trade are just some of the organisations that the church has worked with.

"Last year the Sunday service, led by Rev Peter Sheasby, focused on Harvest with a Green Communion. This year, the service was led by Tim O’Brien, the Net Zero officer for Yorkshire North and East Methodist District. Bird boxes and pots of plants and flowers now feature outside the buildings."

The church is currently focused on improving the Milner Rooms at the back of the main church building with double-glazing."

Janice said: "These spaces are used by many community groups. The improvements will make the building warmer, reduce heat loss and lower the energy bills. This work will also go towards achieving the Eco Church silver award. Fundraising is in process for this work, with a successful concert from Alison Davis’ Ryedale Voices and Richard Kay and Sound Fellows. An evening of Christmas music is planned for December 2, with Terrington Village Choir. Further fundraising activities are planned for next year.

For more information on the Eco Church go to https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/