Officially it’s spring, and the temperature will fall below normal this week as I write, but the first week of March was glorious with sunshine encouraging the spring bulbs to open. In many gardens, daffodils, crocus, snowdrops, and muscari were delighting us all.

As we look forward to welcoming our new Rector, Dr. Mary Kells, we need to involve more of us in thinking and doing if we are to become a parish of eco-churches.

Pilgrim Post is produced using ecologically produced paper. The company have said ‘we are pleased to confirm that the 80gsm Universal Navigator multifunctional premium paper designed for better printing quality and lower toner consumption as used for Pilgrim Post is produced using only the best natural materials such as Eucalyptus Globulus pulp from responsibly managed forests. It carries FSC and EU-Ecolabel certification.’ Are we using this paper in the Parish Office?

Transform Trade have a recycling appeal. They are working hard with small producers in developing countries to promote fair trade so that individuals and groups are paid appropriately for their work. They also provide training so that the methods used are based on ecologically sound practices. They are asking for old, unwanted, broken, and damaged items including costume jewellery, watches, gold or silver jewellery, and banknotes. Envelopes will be available at the back of church. You might consider a sort out for Lent.

Church of England has issued the following: We believe that responding to the climate crisis is an essential part of our responsibility to safeguard God’s creation and achieve a just world. Climate change already hits hardest the poorest countries and poorest people of the world, but it’s now hitting us harder too. Our Environment Programme exists to enable the whole Church to address these threats — in faith, practice, and mission – we all have our part to play.

Pat Crawford has sent this information. The UK Met Office sums up the ways in which Climate Change can influence systems (colloquially ‘the weather’) as follows: Changes in the hydrological cycle; Warmer land and air; Warming oceans; Melting sea ice and glaciers; Rising sea levels; Ocean acidification; Global greening; Changes in ocean currents; More extreme weather; Risk to water supplies. The Met. lists potential impacts (some of which we are already experiencing): Conflict and climate migrants; Localised flooding; Flooding of coastal regions; Damage to marine ecosystems; Fisheries failing; Loss of biodiversity; Change in seasonality; Heat stress; Expansion of habitable region of pests; Forest mortality and increased risk of fires; Damage to infrastructure; Food insecurity.

Diary Dates:
4th April National Walk to Work Day (and to school)
7th–13th April Community Garden (and churchyards) Week
30th April Stop Food Waste

Dr. Foster went to Gloucester in a shower of rain He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle and never went there again! (c1844)

Poor old King Edward l, on whom the nursery rhyme is based. It must have been in February given the rain we are having. I do hope it has prompted all you readers to get water butts for your gardens. I fear that having had all this rain we will be in drought conditions by July / August. The water companies are not too hot on repairing their own leaks but will urge us all to conserve water and my four butts provide five hundred litres of water for my pots in the summer months. I don’t water established plants and trees in the ground but do have to water the tomatoes and beans if I am to enjoy their products. A big thank you to Audrey Lewis who has been working in St Martin’s churchyard throughout the winter. She has tackled a number of areas where the plants particularly the brambles have gone for a takeover bid, due to her efforts they have not succeeded. John Salmon has also spent time cutting back and pruning, its surprising what can be achieved in an hour. It’s true that gardening can be very relaxing, and it can also help when we are feeling stressed or really annoyed about something! Just take your secateurs and cut down some of those pesky brambles and no one will know whose head is being cut off. You will be feeling revitalised and ready to enter the fray again and St Martin’s churchyard will be very grateful.

The cold spell is over or is it? The weather is so unpredictable and there are still many people in positions of power who deny that climate change is taking place. As Pat Crawford said in her latest post Elon Musk
has shocked many with his declaration that “recycling is pointless”. She points out that the Greenland Ice Sheet is thinning, and the resultant water is enough to fill Africa’s Lake Victoria. The National Trust has said that
‘homogenization’ is blurring the distinctions between the seasons and this is particularly challenging for insects and their predators. Our recycling continues, and alongside crisp packets, soft plastics and single use plastics can be recycled at Tesco and Waitrose. Single use plastics are often found in food packaging and so are widely available. More retailers are offering loose fruit and vegetables but inevitably give customers plastic bags to put their purchases in once they are weighed. Oh for the return of paper bags! In the meantime, if you are able to avoid the use of thin plastic bags, that would be good. As a church we continue to fill the box at Superdrug with empty blister packs. I am also still collecting tools of all sorts for TWAM. Blankets, woolly hats, scarves and gloves would be appreciated by the homeless. Cooking equipment can also be found a home and mobile phones can still be recycled so please let me know if you want me to collect any of the above from you.
I have been talking with Sophie Scott about shrubs and plants for St Martin’s churchyard. The box hedge has died and will need to be removed, and I list below replacements and additions that might be planted. You may like to donate a shrub or plant in memory of a loved one or to commemorate a special event. I ask that you donate the plant in a pot rather than a bare root specimen because the season for planting bare roots ends in March.

A New Year is upon us and that raises the question of resolutions. For all of you who have real Christmas trees without roots there is the matter of disposal. Pilgrims Hospice will collect your tree for a donation
which seems a very positive way of disposing of the tree and supporting a local good cause. If the tree has roots, then please plant it as anything we can do to support nature would be very helpful.
Veganuary January 
Try going vegan for the whole month, or as vegan as you can. Experiment with vegan food. You can join Veganuary for recipes at https://veganuary.com/try-vegan/ and there’s a free celebrity cookbook online, with 10 meal plans etc. If going “cold turkey” is a step too far then you could try going vegetarian for say five days of the week and having meat on just two days.
Big Garden Birdwatch – 24th to 26th January
Sit back, relax and watch your garden birds for an hour. Whether you’re a newcomer or a regular – welcome! It all counts, and we’d love to know your sightings. You may even get some surprises! I was surprised to find I had green finches in my garden. I can’t put out birdseed or fat balls as my dog Lottie has a voracious appetite for anything that is edible. However, I did once see a very neat bird window feeder at Judith Griffith’s house. It is Perspex and is attached to the window enabling you to see the birds that come to feed while you’re sitting in your chair with a cup of tea.  Lottie continues to keep a close eye on the squirrels in St Martin’s churchyard and fortunately they are canny enough to make for the nearest tree, much to her disappointment. She has yet to master the art of climbing trees for which I am heartily grateful. Sophie Scott has suggested that we look into planting a flowering pear tree near the compost heap to mask the site of the roof of the Verena Holmes building. There is a jam of equipment on the roof which mars the skyline and is supposedly to be removed – no time has been given!

A mild month November but grey and dank. The brambles in St Martin’s churchyard are flourishing and the box shrub has succumbed to the dreaded box moth and is skeletal throughout the whole area. A valiant
attempt was made by a few to remedy some of this, but it really needs a concerted effort by a substantial number to affect any lasting impression. We need those who are happy to identify and attack the weeds and
brambles and those who will move the debris to the compost heap and the designated areas between the trees. Looking today I saw that we also need to rebuild the “Bee Ritz” which has been affected by weather and
some humans. I assumed it was human intervention when I saw some of the wood had been placed rather than blown by the wind. The Eco Group will begin to look at the new A Roche survey and try
to get St Martin’s up to silver level. For St Paul’s to achieve Gold will necessitate very active participation by the whole congregation and the PCC so hopefully we can pursue this when we have a new incumbent.
Many of you will be aware that the Cathedral is now part of the Deanery Eco Group, and they are actively pursuing awards for the Cathedral. The other churches involved are All Saints, St Dunstan’s, St Mildred’s
and St Peter’s, Blean, Thannington and St Stephen’s. Most have bee hotels and some have encouraged hedgehogs, sadly they haven’t appeared at St Martin’s. Bird feeders and boxes for swifts have also been introduced in some church yards. On a broader note, Pat Crawford (Rural Focus Group) has shared the news that the floods in Valencia are in part due to climate change. I think this has brought the issue much closer to home and made us think about the abnormal rainfall we experienced here in October. There is also positive news Prince William has given £1million pound prizes to several initiatives in Africa which are designed by local people to ameliorate the
effects of pollution that contribute to climate change. One of these is a recycling process that will engage local people and impact the lives of many. Greenpeace has highlighted the fact that Europe is still sending plastics to Africa, offloading the burden of recycling on to others. ‘Transform Trade’ is working with producers in developing countries to improve the husbandry of the land and conditions in factories and workshops. There are still many clothing brands who do not have adequate contracts to ensure that workers are paid a living wage and that their working conditions are safe. It is up to each one of us to support initiatives that improve practices by these multinationals. Sue White

I write this in August when summer had finally arrived, shorts, T-shirts and dresses are the order of the day. I’m out early with the dog to avoid her
getting her paws burnt when the pavement gets hot. Apples and tomatoes are ripening, strawberries are plentiful and the runner beans magnificent so why all this fuss about climate change? Fruit growers in the Southeast put it succinctly when interviewed a few days ago. They planted early for an early summer crop and again later for a late summer crop. The rains in June and July meant that the early fruit did not ripen and now the late fruit is ripening, and they have a glut of berries many of which are going to the anaerobic digesters for fuel.
Pat Crawford (Rural Focus Group) alerts us to the fact that Climate Central, which is monitoring the changes that are taking place, are saying that parts of Kent could be under water by 2050 as sea levels rise. Thousands of businesses and homes will need to relocate to avoid disaster. We may be encouraged by the news that across the world 30% of needed electricity has been produced by renewables, however the wildfires which have been exacerbated by rising global temperatures have affected Europe and America. In the Indian subcontinent floods and landslides have affected towns and cities and led to significant loss of life. The World Wildlife Fund and others are heavily involved in schemes to maintain biodiversity worldwide and to protect tropical rainforests.
They have reported notable successes but acknowledge that the demand for land by local people often leads to conflict as both humans and animals try to survive. Inevitably the animals are the losers and the loss of biodiversity impoverishes the land.  Here in the UK we are very aware of the loss of insects. I am sure that many of us remember the time when driving the car, especially at night, meant cleaning the windscreen and the headlights of dead insects the next day. Writing of this now, I can’t remember the last time I had to do that. However many of us are growing flowering plants to attract insects and bees to our gardens to support them. Insects provide food for birds and hedgehogs. Frogs, toads and newts eat slugs as well as other insects. There is biodiversity in our gardens, and we need to support it. 

For your Diary – Monday 9th to Monday 23rd September, is Fairtrade Fortnight. I know that many of you are already trying to buy as much as you can that is labelled Fairtrade. It’s not always easy to do this on a fixed income whilst coping with all the other price rises, but do keep trying. We are charged with caring for all God’s creation.  Revd Sue White

Flaming July is with us as we huddle in our raincoats and sweaters, but gardens are blooming! The amount of growth in my garden has been incredible with digitalis some nine foot high and marguerites in profusion and of course there is the constant hum of bees and other insects. The newts appear to have settled in the pond. One reared its head yesterday looking like a prehistoric dinosaur, it wasn’t interested in me and was clearly waiting for a passing water boatman or other unfortunate insect.

Thank you to everyone who completed the Environmental Lifestyle Survey 2024. There was a 32% response which in survey terms is seen as good. It was encouraging to know that 96% of the respondents thought that an ethical lifestyle was part of living out their Christian faith. One
respondent however, pointed out that it was very important that we share the good news of our faith and that this should have priority.
It was clear from the responses that many church households are doing their best to reduce their use of cars and to walk or cycle. Reducing energy consumption if possible was a high priority for 73% and the commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle was supported by 88% of respondents with 69% having reduced their food waste. A quarter participated in community clean ups and over a third had engaged with their local Member of Parliament and over a quarter participated in national and global environmental campaigns.

The suggestions that were shared included the two-and-a-half-minute shower that clearly saves in soap and water. We may chuckle at such a suggestion but how much water do we also waste washing fruit and vegetables? There were lots of encouraging ideas. One person is actively  working on a sustainability plan for their business. Another has updated all their radiators at home so that when the gas boiler needs replacing, they are able to install a heat source pump.

Several people suggested that solar panels be installed on the parish centre roof at St Paul’s. Another suggestion was Evensong by candlelight followed by a candle lit supper but possible not on All Hallows Eve. Another idea was to make changes to one’s own garden by planting bee friendly flowers and thereby creating a “nectar bar”. This would not necessarily mean doing away with one’s current planting scheme.

It is possible to make some additions that are attractive to pollinating insects and still enjoy what has already been planted. Thyme in the vegetable patch, a buddleia to hide the compost bin, and lavender to edge the path, would all be attractive to insects. So it’s good news that there is a great deal going on in our church family that contributes to improving the environment which should encourage us all to continue with our efforts. Sue White

Summer is on the way. Yesterday was sunny but at present it’s all very overcast – probably because it’s the Bank Holiday. Nonetheless the garden is blooming and I now have newts in my pond following the removal of the pond in the Rectory garden. Newts are a protected species and the Church of England is supporting efforts by parishioners to increase diversity of plants and animals in church yards with “Caring for God’s green acre”.
There is a Love your Burial Ground Week (Saturday 8th – Sunday 16th June) and churches from all denominations are being invited to a week-long ‘nature count’ to monitor and celebrate biodiversity in churchyards. It is jointly run by the conservation charities Caring for God’s Acre and A Rocha UK, together with the Church of England and
the Church in Wales. Find out More
There are free webinars in June. Just go to the website above to register.

Pat Crawford (Rural Focus Group) sent this very useful information about rainfall. Earlier this year large parts of the UK, including our own region, suffered continuous rain. Many people are confused by how this type of weather is linked to Climate Change; the Met Office website provides a helpful explanation. ‘Rainfall across the globe is determined by two things:
1. How warm the air is. Hotter air can hold more moisture. If the airhas an unlimited water supply, such as an ocean, then warmer air draws up extra moisture. This results in clouds containing a greater number of larger rain droplets and can be why showers in summer are often heavier than in winter. As the climate continues to warm, the effect will increase, and heavy rainfall events are expected to become more common.
2. The movement of weather patterns across the world. For example, the position of the jet stream near the UK influences a lot of our weather. However, any shifts in these weather patterns will lead to some regions becoming drier and others becoming wetter.’

Kent Wildlife Trust have launched the 2024 Bugs Matter survey season which has officially begun. They’ve extended the survey season 18 from May 1st to September 30th, giving us even more time to collect valuable data. All you need to do is count the number of insects splattered on your vehicle’s number plate after a journey. Your data will contribute to a nationwide effort to understand how insects are faring across the UK. Go on the Kent Wildlife Trust website for more details of how to download the app and start counting.

Meanwhile, we will organise a St Martin’s churchyard working party this month and details will be in the weekly parish email.

The weather has been extraordinary in the past month, we seem to have gone through all four seasons in the past few weeks. But Spring is in the air, the tulips are out in front gardens and the daffodils have been wonderful. For those of you who have walked up Pilgrims Way to the woods there has been the pleasure of the wood anemones carpeting the floor. In St Martin’s churchyard the primroses have been glorious, and the pollarded willow has been covered in catkins. Alongside all the signs of new life there has been an explosion of brambles and the box has died throughout the churchyard. We need to have another working party to tackle these and it would be really good if more people would volunteerto help.

For your diary: The Deanery Eco-Fayre is at St Peter’s (CofE) Church, Canterbury, on Saturday 11th May from 10:00am—1:00 pm. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress will be opening it, and our local M.P. Rosie Duffield has been invited to attend. Do, please make every effort to attend, there will be 17 stalls, refreshments and freshly made pizza available. Sue White

Spring is in the air and the ground is beginning to be workable. At one point I thought all my spring flowers were growing webbed feet.
March was the month for the Big Plastic Count, and you will be getting your household results. It is very difficult to avoid so much of the plastic
we try to recycle or have to bin when retailers insist on putting so many 17 items into plastic boxes or bags and covering them with unrecyclable plastic film.

Eco Survey: Thank you to everyone who filled in the survey. There have been several very positive suggestions as to how we, as a church,
could make progress towards Zero Carbon and we will be sharing those with you as soon as we can.

St Martin’s Churchyard: Some of the snowdrops that were planted have flowered in the churchyard and we need to have a go at the brambles again. The two heaps we created between the trees on the far side are beginning to subside and should be full of insects. There are no signs of hedgehogs but patience and persistence in providing them with shelter
will hopefully result in them visiting us. The squirrels are as busy as ever and Lottie continues to keep them in order as we walk to church on Sundays.

The Deanery Eco Group has contacted the council about No Mow May and discovered that the issue is the lack of equipment to mow long
grass. We need to consider whether there are parts of the churchyard that could be set aside, the grass and other plants allowed to grow thus
creating pockets that are wildlife friendly. It looks untidy but ultimately will be of benefit to everyone.

Spring is in the air and contact has been made with Canterbury College to see if any students are interested in helping in St Martin’s churchyard. We are hoping for a positive response.

News from Pat Crawford (Rural Focus Group): Readers interested in Climate Change can access the UN Global Compact Network UK, an independent not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote charitable sustainable development and promote ethical standards and conduct within businesses and the private sector. https://unglobalcompact.org/ Good
news: Globally, 50% more renewable power was achieved in 2023 than 2022.

The National Trust plans to create vast new areas of temperate rainforest in the south-west of England by planting 100,000 trees in north
Devon, an area that was once covered by forests. (Trees sequester carbon.) French farmers ‘sieged’ Paris on 29th January using tractors in order to protest about increasing bureaucracy, falling incomes and competition
from imports. Farmers around the world are suffering Climate Changerelated issues.

It is vital that we support UK’s farmers and growers by buying ‘British’. Check labels for the Union Flag or other means of identifying British produce such as the Red Tractor symbol.

Eco-Fayre in Canterbury: Saturday 11th May from 10:00 am -2:00 pm. at St Peter’s Anglican Church, St Peter’s Street. Please invite
friends. Lots of interesting stalls plus Christian Aid, food and drink etc. This event is supported by the diocesan eco-champions and the ecodeanery.

Environmental Awareness: I hope as many people as possible will download the ‘My Footprint’ app and take on a challenge? Also, please do listen to ‘Call of the Wild’ , a WWF-UK’s podcast.

Choose what you can do but please do something!