Exploring Nature at St Mary's: Our First Ecology Afternoon

On Sunday 29th June, we hosted our first ecology event at St Mary’s, coinciding with the national Churches Count on Nature initiative. Our resident ecologist, Richard Wren, invited participants to collect small samples of plants, flowers, and seeds from around the churchyard using sticky paper. It was a peaceful wander and a wonderful opportunity to slow down and really notice what is growing beneath our feet in this sacred green space.

Afterwards, we brought our findings back and laid them out on a table. Richard kindly helped identify plants and flowers of interest and shared his knowledge about them.

Richard and his wife Caroline (who is also our resident historian) generously baked and brewed some wonderful refreshments, including rose and lavender biscuits, elderflower cordial, and dandelion and burdock cordial — all very welcome on what was a rather hot day!

Meanwhile, the children enjoyed nature-themed crafts under the shade of the trees. It was a truly pleasant afternoon, celebrating nature, learning together, and enjoying each other’s company. We’re already looking forward to our next ecology event!