Team Wilder story: Wilder churches
Churchyards can be havens for wildlife and people. Find out how you could make your local churchyard wilder this summer.
Churchyard by John Tyler
Churchyards can be important havens for wildlife as well as people. They are often home to many species of birds and insects, wild flowers, and ancient trees.
If you live near a churchyard, you could get involved with Churches Count on Nature which encourages churchyard wildlife surveys between 4 and 12 June. It increases awareness of the wildlife value of churchyards, and adds to the overall understanding of the importance of these habitats. It could even encourage some churchyards to be managed more sympathetically for wildlife.
If you could help survey at a nearby churchyard, please either get in touch with them directly to offer, or contact the Oxford Diocese Environment Action Programme (environment@oxford.anglican.org) and they’ll try to link you up with a local Church of England church.
Surveying a churchyard in Bicester, the starting point for creating some wilder areas in the grounds. Photo by Ed Munday
If you are aware of any particularly wildlife rich churchyards, you can also propose them for addition on this map of Burial Grounds to Inspire. There must be some great ones in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire that are not yet shown!
Also on the BBOWT patch is Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation who are looking for volunteers to do butterfly surveys in churchyards. Just 30 minutes in each of the four months May to August. If you live near a churchyard that is not already listed on their website above as being surveyed, please contact churchyard-coordinator@upperthames-butterflies.org.uk. They are particularly short of churchyards in Buckinghamshire, West Berkshire and West Oxfordshire.
If you do take part in any of these activities, do let us know about it by emailing teamwilder@bbowt.org.uk! By taking one action for nature, you can make an impact and invite more wildlife back into our lives and help create a wilder future. Add your action to our #teamWILDER map too and show how wild our three counties are.
Churchyards can be havens for wildlife. Photo by Liz Cartwright.
Our Rough Around the Edges project is working with six churches in and around Chinnor on two projects.
Chinnor Churches Go Wild is a group of five churches which are aiming to improve their grounds for wildlife. You can find out more about their plans in our blog about the project and this webinar.
Chinnor Community Church is planning to wild part of their new garden for reflection. A brand new project which should be really good for giving space to local wildlife as well as people.
Contact us if you'd like help to make your local churchyard wilder, email teamwilder@bbowt.org.uk
Learning to survey the churchyard at Sydenham Church, part of the Rough Around the Edges project. Photo by Katie Horgan
Volunteers by Jess Gallagher
Get involved
Team Wilder is a growing community of people from across our three counties and beyond, who are taking direct action for nature.