A group of village churches around Andover have all received recognition for going green.

St Thomas’ in Charlton, Christ Church in Hatherden, St Thomas of Canterbury in Tangley and St Peter’s in Hurstbourne Tarrant have all achieved the bronze award in the Eco Church Awards, run by environmental charity A Rocha. The churches, which are all part of the Pastrow Family of churches, now intend to strive for a silver award.

Rector Alex Randle Bissell said: “Now that we’ve achieved the bronze award, the churches will be working towards silver, which will involve stepping up community engagement - including perhaps a green fair, potentially in conjunction with the Hatherden Fete.

“We might also be seeing a pond soon in one of our church yards amongst other things.”

The Eco Church scheme was established by A Rocha in 2016, with the intention that 10 per cent of churches across England and Wales, around 4,500, would be classed as an eco church by 2026. At present, 3,100 have signed up to the scheme, with 1,000 having received awards.

As an eco church, the places of worship, and their congregations, are encouraged to care for the environment in terms of everything from looking after buildings to taking part in local eco initiatives, as well as campaigns with a more global reach.

Categories in the scheme include: worship and teaching; improving the energy efficiency of buildings; looking after the surrounding environment and wildlife and engaging with the local community.

The criteria for each award are filled out on an app, which when fulfilled can then be used to apply for an award.

Projects currently being considered by the Pastrow Family to continue their work include wild flower planting events across its 11 churches; bug, bird, bat and hedgehog home creation; constructing wildlife feeding stations and, eventually, tailored wildlife surveys which draw in the wider local community.

They are also be looking at the viability of ‘toilet twinning’, where money is raised via a fund raiser or donations to create a basic toilet in less well-off areas of the world. The churches are also be aiming for Fairtrade certification and a switch to environmentally friendly products.

Rector Alex Randle Bissell appealed for members of the public to suggest their ideas and get involved by contacting: ecochurch@pastrowfamily.org.uk