We are a small group comprising two members of the Parish Council, a member of WinACC / Friends of the Earth and two others, one a co-opted member of St Mary’s PCC. All of us are Twyford residents.
ACT’s aim is to encourage us all to take action to reduce our village carbon footprint and mitigate the effects of climate change. We will post practical, basic ideas each month through the Twyford Information System, the Parish magazine, Pew sheet and Facebook reminding us that even small changes can be significant. We will be discussing further changes that can be made within the Parish to help focus on the need to deliver a cleaner, safer and greener environment for us and for future generations.
Here are some small changes that would make a difference:
- Turn your thermostat down
- Use only LED light bulbs
- Turn appliances off instead of leaving them on standby
- Measure the amount needed when using the kettle
These changes together can potentially save considerably on household bills and help reduce carbon emissions.
So please look out for our upcoming publications & events on Energy, Buildings, Transport, Diet, Waste & more.
Twyford Churchyard – Latest Developments
We have been talking to ECO groups in the village about the opportunities for nature conservation, and have confirmed that the bank which runs laterally across the churchyard will continue to be lightly strimmed once per year in the autumn, in order not to disturb the wild flowers, particularly primroses, which flourish there and also the ancient ants nests.
In addition, the triangle of land that runs from the church’s south door to the bottom of the bank, will be cleared and sown with yellow rattle and ultimately wild grass-seed and will also be left for annual trimming. We are intending to add a hedgehog retreat and a bird feeder to this area. But in the short term, until the area is established, it may well not look as neat and tidy as the rest of the churchyard, and we ask you to bear with us on this.
St Mary’s Church, Twyford – Congratulations on your Bronze Eco Church Award!
Eco church is an award scheme designed to motivate and resource churches in the UK to care for the planet as part of their everyday work and witness. Recognising that we were now in a climate crisis, we as a church community were determined to do something about it. By registering as an Eco church, our task was to work through a survey of questions relating to five categories – namely, worship and teaching, management of land, management of buildings, global and community engagement and lifestyle. Depending on the quality of answers, we were awarded points which after a year added up to a bronze award. The journey towards this award involved the participation of the vicar who appointed an eco champion, the Parochial Church Council, the churchwarden and members of our Twyford community with expertise in different fields. A team effort with thanks due to all – but this is just the beginning as we head towards a silver award.
Building a Bug Hotel
For tips on building a bug hotel, here’s a great video which shows you how to create a suitable habitat out of everyday recycled materials you are likely to find in or around your garden.
Snowdrop Saturday 2021 
Have you seen the snowdrops appearing all over St Mary’s churchyard? Since 2000, we’ve celebrated Snowdrop Saturday, with local people digging in snowdrops they’ve brought from their gardens. Over the years this has become a popular part of our village and social calendar.
As a Fairtrade church we’ve always planned the date to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight – to highlight the often underpaid and exploited workers who grow so much of our food, and the cotton for our clothes.
This year Fairtrade Fortnight is from February 22nd to March 7th. It’ll feel very different! 2020 has been such a hard year, and our active campaigning and meeting together will continue to be challenging. So though we can’t have our usual Snowdrop Saturday, we want to keep up the tradition of planting snowdrops and focussing on Fairtrade.
How about instead of the one Saturday, if you have snowdrops from your garden to divide and dig in, might you find any time between Feb 22nd and March 7th to suit you, and plant them where you see a space in the churchyard? You’ll need to be socially-distanced, but they needn’t!
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us more than ever how interconnected we are globally. Such interconnection is at the very heart of the Fairtrade message. Let’s drive long-term change not only with our shopping choices but with our support – and help keep Twyford churchyard a living reminder?
Celia Close (Traidcraft rep for St Mary’s)
Maggie Lippiett
Cathy Pope