Climate , Eco Church , News

MK Eco Church Network – March 2026 Update

Dear MK Eco Church Network friends,

Greetings! I hope you’re enjoying the signs of Spring appearing across Milton Keynes and beyond!

I’d like to draw your attention to a couple of items in this month’s Update. The first, is a reminder that the next MK Eco Church Network meeting that will be held on Saturday 11 April between 10.00am – 12.30pm at Christ Church, Stantonbury during which Jane Grindley, Director of MK Community Energy will be giving a talk about: ‘MK Community Energy and Home Energy Advice’ and she will include a discussion about a programme for churches. Please sign-up using this link to Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/milton-keynes-eco-church-network-meeting-tickets-1983158475385?aff=oddtdtcreator

The second, is to highlight the attached document about grant funding opportunities for churches, many of which relate to the environment, sustainability and energy. I gratefully received the document from the Sustainability Lead at Milton Keynes City Council, following a very productive discussion.

Please share this Update with other people who may be interested.

Thanks and best wishes,

Stuart Kean

MK Eco Church Network Convenor

email: mkecnetwork@ctmk.church

MK Eco Church Network – March 2026 Update

Events

  1. Saturday 21 March Climate Café: from 1.45 to 4.30pm in the Guildhall at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone. This will include a talk by Frances Gordon on ‘Gain or Pain – Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change.’ As this event is expected to be popular, please let the MK Climate Café Team know if you are interested in coming climatecafemk@gmail.com.
  1. Earth Hour on Saturday 28 March, 8:30pm – 9:30pm: Invite members to participate in Earth Hour by switching off their lights for an hour https://www.wwf.org.uk/earth-hour
  1. Saturday 11 April between 10.00am – 12.30pm the next MK Eco Church Network meeting will be held on at Christ Church, Stantonbury. In the first part of the meeting the Christ Church Eco Group will talk about their experiences of achieving a Bronze Eco Church award. Followed by a talk by Jane Grindley, Director of MK Community Energy who will give a talk about: ‘MK Community Energy and Home Energy Advice’.  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/milton-keynes-eco-church-network-meeting-tickets-1983158475385?aff=oddtdtcreator
  1. Milton Keynes Parks Trust Community Volunteer
    1. Wed 25 March at 11am – Community Litter Pick at the Teardrop Lakes
    2. Fri 24 April at 11am – Community Litter Pick at Broughton Brook

For details:  https://www.theparkstrust.com/events/?Event+Category=Volunteering

  1. Webinar on Sustainable Church Flowers Lenten Series 2: Introduction
    Why sustainable flowers matter and where to start.
    Monday 23 March 1-2pm. Registration.
  1. Water-Wise: Growing for Climate Resilience webinar
    Wednesday 18 March midday-1pm
    A webinar exploring climate-resilient growing through the lens of water. Details and registration.
  1. Historic England decarbonising heritage buildings webinars
    A series of webinars in March and April to help heritage buildings plan for decarbonisation. No need to attend all of them – choose the ones that would feel most helpful for you. Details and registration.

Advocacy opportunities

  1. Milton Keynes City Council public consultations – Have your say!

Funding opportunities

  1. New Oxford Diocese triennium net zero carbon funds announced: A recording of a webinar on this new triennium’s funds will be added to our net zero webpage along with this summary sheet. The first of the funds, the Quick Wins fund, opened on Monday 9 March, with others to follow in due course. This fund is to enable churches and associated halls to improve energy efficiency and progress towards net zero carbon by tackling the ‘low-hanging’ fruit or ‘quick wins’.
  1. National Lottery Community Fund – Awards for All England
    Grants of between £300-£20,000 are available to support community-led projects that help people connect with, care for, and protect the local environment. Details here.
  1. List of grant funds available for churches: I recently met the Sustainability Lead for Milton Keynes City Council, after which he sent me the document below which identifies grants for which churches can apply that are broadly related to environment, energy and sustainability projects. He said some of them may not be relevant but they are mostly grants which are specifically targeted at churches or churches are explicitly mentioned as being eligible applicants.
Church grant funding opportunities March 2026Download

Resources

  1. Second-hand bricks available. I’ve received a message from Clive Shelley at Newton Longville Church asking if any Eco Church is interested in 50-60, possibly more, second-hand housing bricks that are in good condition that could be used for flower bed borders or other projects. If you’re interested, please contact Clive: clive.shelley46@gmail.com
  1. A Rocha Prayer Diary for January – March 2026: Every quarter A Rocha publishes its Prayer Diary, with a short paragraph giving prayer points for each week covering all the areas of their work. You can download the prayer guide here for January to March: https://arocha.org.uk/get-involved/pray/
  1. Resource on sustainable church flowers: Last month I reported that General Synod had recently backed a motion encouraging churches to explore environmentally responsible ways of arranging flowers. The motion does not introduce rules or bans. Instead, it encourages churches to consider using seasonal, locally sourced flowers and to phase out single use floral foam. Click here for a useful A Rocha resource about flowers and sustainability.
  1. Have you wondered what it means to be an Eco Champion? A Rocha has produced a new Eco Church resource on Being an Eco-Champion.
  1. Recommended new book: Oxford Professor of Divinity Andrew Davison and Cambridge Professor of Engineering and the Environment Julian Allwood. Promise the Earth provides a readable and specifically Christian slant on why and how we should take the climate emergency seriously right now.
  1. Links between militarism and climate injustice: Faith for the Climate have recently circulated 2 resources on this issue:
    1. The Arms, Militarism and Climate Justice working group is an informal network of researchers and activists committed to ending militarisation of the climate crisis and hosts excellent information resources on militarism and the climate crisis
    2. Based in the Christian tradition, the Fellowship of Reconciliation is an international movement of people who commit themselves to active nonviolence as a way of life and as a means of personal, social, economic and political transformation – check out their resources on war, militarism, and the climate crisis

Information

  1. MK Cycling Citizens Symposium report. Here’s a link to the report about the very interesting Symposium organised by MK Cycling Citizens held last October, MK Cycling Symposium builds bold vision, including the slides. On 26 June MK Cycling Citizens will be organising a Big MK Cycling Summit at The Open University.

Good News Stories

  1. A Rocha International celebrates its Silver Anniversary in 2026, having begun 25 years ago in Portugal! Eco Church in England and Wales is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and over 9000 churches have now signed up. For more information check out: https://arocha.org.uk/its-silver-for-a-rocha-uk/
  1. The story of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath’s new solar panels has been shared by the national Church Net Zero programme Case Study. Find out if they might suit your church by watching the Oxford Diocese webinar recording from last October, All About Solar Panels

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