As part of the Church of England's Eco Church project, Charlton held its first Eco Picnic & Nature Count on 16 June.
Local villagers ranging from 2 to 90 gathered at All Saints' Church to hear more about the project, whilst eating some delicious cakes donated by our talented cake makers. The Give & Take stall - give what you don't want and take what you do want - was a very popular extension of our Phone Box Swap Shop, and in line with the principle of recycling.
Next up was the installation of two bird feeders, to be checked, washed, moved and filled daily with sunflower seeds by volunteers, with the aim of encouraging more birds into the churchyard.
We hugged our large yew tree near the porch and found the girth to be about 2.7m, including the ivy covering of the trunk. After consulting the Ancient Yew Group, who surveyed our yew trees in 2008/9, our tree is a female and a juvenile. Accurately ageing a yew tree is an inexact science, but it is likely that she was planted around the time the Church was built, in 1851. Yew trees can live for 2,000 to 3,000 years.
Our youngest villagers delighted in building a bug hotel using donated and recycled materials, for use by Charlton's insects. As it looked so splendid, we decided to upgrade it from a hotel to a castle, much to the pleasure of the children.
The final part of the afternoon was to join the Nature Count, for Churches Count on Nature. This is a citizen science project, similar to the Big Butterfly Count and the Big Garden Birdwatch. Using paper and pencil, and identification guides, or the iNaturalist app, participants noted all the plants, animals, insects and birds that they could see or hear in the churchyard. This information has been forwarded to Churches Count on Nature/Beautiful Burial Grounds and will be included in the National Biodiversity Network's Atlas of nature data.
Very many thanks are due to all who came and supported this new event, to all who made cakes, donated items, and those who helped behind the scenes.
#EcoChurch
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