Nailsea Methodist Church has been named as an eco-congregation for its environmental work

A NAILSEA church has been officially named as an eco-congregation after four years of hard work.

Members of Nailsea Methodist Church in Silver Street were presented with the award by environmental radio, TV and internet producer Mary Colwell.

To qualify for the award the church had to prove it takes environmental concerns seriously and has implemented practical measures to help the congregation to become more eco-friendly.

Over the past four years the church has installed recycling bins for batteries, Christmas cards and paper, provided a compost bin for the weekly lunch club, held services looking at what the Bible says about caring for the earth and encouraged people to switch of lights, raps and radiators.

Many of the initiatives were organised and encouraged by congregation member Alan Emery, a keen supporter of environmental issues.

The eco-congregation award is a project of Christian environmental organisation A Rocha UK. It was awarded after assessors visited the church and is issued for three years.

Nailsea Methodist Church is one of only 203 churches in England and Wales to have been named as an eco-congregation.

Rev Mandy Stevens said: “We are delighted to be presented with this award. In the Bible, God calls his followers to care for creation not trash it – and we’ve been trying to follow that instruction.

“We are conscious that we still have lots more work to do though and we will continue to look at our buildings and activities to make sure they continue to be as green as possible.”