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Oulton Broad church wins environment award
Oulton Broad church wins environment award
St Mark’s Church in Oulton Broad has become the first church in the Diocese of Norwich to be awarded the Eco Church Gold Award by the Christian environmental charity A Rocha UK.
St Mark’s Church gained a bronze Eco church award in 2021, followed by a silver award in 2022. Since then, they have worked across all five categories of the Eco Church survey to embed creation care in all aspects of church life and are now celebrating reaching gold!
The Bishop of Norwich, The Rt Revd Graham Usher — who also serves as the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment — welcomed the announcement: “Congratulations to all at St Mark’s Oulton Broad for being the first Gold Eco Church in the Diocese of Norwich. This is a significant achievement and shows how the care for climate and nature can be woven through the life of a parish church’s ministry and mission. Well done to everyone involved.”
The Revd Canon Helen Jary, Rector of the Oulton Broad Team Ministry, reflected on the parish’s progress: “I’ve learnt so much from our Eco Church journey, and I’m thankful to see the progress that has been made as we have committed ourselves to living out the 5th Mark of Mission.”
 Harvey Bradley, pictured right, speaking on behalf of the Oulton Broad Green Team, emphasised the positive momentum generated by the award: “Seeing bad news or good news is a matter of perspective. If we look for good news we will find it. St Mark’s Church is excited about receiving the Eco Church Gold Award. We will be using 2026 as a year to celebrate much of the good news to be found locally and internationally — news that reflects communities and groups working creatively to alleviate the worst consequences of global warming.
"Locally, at least 10 other churches in the wider Lowestoft area are registered with A Rocha UK. They reflect an enthusiasm for environmental care within the wider community and are all taking steps to address environmental and climatic concerns through good eco-housekeeping and sustainable lifestyles. Whether through promoting recycling, re-using and re-purposing materials, undertaking beach cleaning, or influencing policy decisions in local government, each of us contributes our part. Magnified globally, these ‘little bits’ make a real difference. The people of St Mark’s are pleased to play their part, grounded in the belief that the natural world is God’s creation and worthy of our care.”
Barbara Bryant, Diocesan Environment Officer, underlined the wider significance for the diocese:
“This is such encouraging news for our Diocese as we ourselves work towards reaching Eco Diocese Silver level. Parish churches such as St Mark’s are a beacon leading the way for over 200 others already on the Eco Church journey. Together we can demonstrate that caring for the whole of creation is central to our mission and ministry.”
Helen Stephens, Church Relations Manager, for A Rocha UK added: “Our huge congratulations to St Mark’s Oulton Broad on their well-deserved gold Eco Church award. Becoming a gold Eco Church is not an easy journey and St Mark’s are an example of the dedication and perseverance that is required to reach this accolade. By remaining focused on the biblical mandate to care for God’s creation and love your neighbour, we hope other churches will join them in taking action to care for this amazing world. We wish St Mark’s all the best as they celebrate their award.”
A Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme equips churches in England and Wales to care for creation. Open to churches of all denominations, it provides a framework to support churches and their leadership to take practical action on caring for God’s earth. Churches can apply for awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels to demonstrate all they are doing to care for creation across five key areas of church life: Worship and Teaching, Buildings and Energy, Land and Nature, Community and Global Engagement and Lifestyle. Nearly 9,000 churches are registered with Eco Church, and over 4,500 have achieved awards. ecochurch.arocha.org.uk
St Mark’s Church is on Bridge Road in Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, NR33 9JX.
For more information about becoming an Eco-church, visit DioceseofNorwich.org
The photos of St Mark’s Green Team with their bug house, and Harvey and Helen Bradley with the Gold award, are courtesy of Diocese of Norwich.
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Tony Rothe, 14/12/2025
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