The Eco-Church Working Group serves to help the church achieve one of its mission priorities, to get to Silver Eco-Church award status by the end of 2026.
Eco-Church comprises a framework and resources to assist churches in becoming more climate and nature friendly, recognising our responsibility as Christians to care for God’s creation.
The group has 8 members and meets every two months to identify and progress actions across the five Eco–Church themes of Worship & Teaching, Buildings, Land, Community & Global Engagement and Lifestyle.
The church achieved Bronze Award status in June 2024, a year after the group started. Highlights have included a Caring for Creation service, the installation of energy saving LED lighting, building a bug hotel, painting posters prior to CoP28 and encouraging church members to undertake an environmental lifestyle audit.
More exciting actions are planned as we start on our journey to Silver and anyone interested should speak to a member of the working group.
Latest Eco Group News
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 23rd January 2026 at All Saints taking place between 10.30-11.30. Arrive at 10am for briefing. Free drink for participating in Sarah’s cafe. Please see further details below.
Our local parks, Bushy and Home Parks, offer a programme of walks and talks about local wildlife which may be of interest
Walks and Talks – Friends of Bushy and Home Parks
Water voles have recently been released into the Hogsmill River after a 20 year project to optimise the conditions. This short video records the day they were released.
Returning water voles to the Hogsmill – Citizen Zoo
Hedgehog numbers have been decreasing in recent years. Open this link to The British Hedgehog Preservation Society to see how you can help injured hedgehogs and help them thrive by making small changes in our gardens
Great Garden Birdwatch
Fri 23rd – Sun 25th January 2026
On a grey, drizzly Friday morning, six birdwatchers of variable experience, and occasional curious passers by, counted birds landing in the All Saints Churchyard for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Experienced birdwatchers willingly shared their knowledge and thier binoculars with those of us struggling to tell the difference between a carrion crow and a jackdaw. The eagle-eyed spotted hopping black and white wagtails and a robin watching us from the railings on the south side. House sparrows, not seen last year, cheeped reassuringly as they fed from the squirrel-protected bird feeder. Disappointingly we did not see a goldfinch, magpie or great tit spotted in last year’s Big Garden Birdwatch. No surprises perhaps that pigeons were the most frequent visitors, particularly on the north side, but have you noticed how different their browns and greys are, and that some are shiny green and purple in places?
Thank you to those who participated and especially to those who organised the bird watch. We plan to repeat it next year if you would like to join us, or perhaps consider registering your own.
Not only is this a great exercise to know what types and numbers of birds we attract to our churchyard, but participation also assists towards the Silver ECO Award which we’d love to achieve by the end of this year.
Stag Beetles at All Saints Kingston
We are being asked to record our Stag Beetle sightings.
Chris Ault, a member of the All Saints Eco group gave the following details; The Stag beetle is the largest beetle in Britain and leads a precarious life. The female lays eggs underground and when these hatch into larvae, they feed for up to 7 years on rotting wood. During this time they remain underground. Therefore log piles are an essential habitat for their existence. Last year I was planting a shrub on the north west side of the Churchyard where there are the hollow remains of a tree stump which has a lot of sawdust. I accidentally dug up a stag beetle larva which I took into the Church (briefly) and showed to Joe before putting it back into the ground. Therefore it appears that we already have a presence.
When the male adult emerges it’s only intention is to mate , which may require fights with other adult males. They emerge in May or June. The adults usually die by the end of August and it is not certain if they even eat during the intervening 3 months. The adult male has large horns which are used solely for the purposes mentioned above and they cannot bite.
Great Garden Birdwatch
Members of our Eco group took part in the Great Garden Birdwatch recently. Not only was this a great exercise to know what types and numbers of birds we attract in our churchyard, participation also assists towards the Silver ECO Award.
The criteria required keeping watch for 1 hour and recording the maximum number of individual species seen on the ground or in the trees at any one time (ie not birds which flew over but did not land).
Here are our results;
Carrion Crow 8, Jackdaw 6, Feral Pigeon 5, Starling 3, Great Tit 2, Blackbird 2, Blue Tit 1, Goldfinch 1, Pied Wagtail 1, Magpie 1.
Did you know that we have a bird watching camera set up on a tree in the churchyard? We’ve been catching some great images and with spring nearly upon us, we hope to see even more activity! Please click below to see as clip.
Our Eco group is really helping with our aim to encourage nature in the churchyard. If you have thoughts and ideas about how All Saints can improve its eco credentials, or would like to join the group, please contact the office to be put in touch.
Link to bird clip
