Grace Davin sent ECI this latest update:
Hillsborough Presbyterian Church (HPC) Eco Committee recognised that we need not only to focus internally on matters within our congregation, which we have largely done to date, but also to widen our focus to the local community. We therefore drew up the following aims for 2022:
- Plant a Tree for the Jubilee
- Introduce a Creation Care Service to raise awareness
- Encourage the members of the congregation to greater awareness and participation in Eco activities
- Resume our monthly Eco Tip
- Introduce a local Litter Pick
Last autumn David Surgenor took over as Convener of our Grounds Committee. He wanted to bring some colour to our grounds and organised a Bulb Planting Day at which some volunteers from the congregation participated – we enjoyed the benefits of this initiative in Spring with a good display of daffodils and tulips.
Our Grounds Committee has worked hard to secure grants to develop a long overgrown and under- utilised area within our church grounds, and we have just heard that the grant applications to the White Mountain Programme and Aughrim Landfill have been successful. We have employed the services of a professional Garden Designer with a brief to combine conservation with usability for the area. This will be an exciting project for our congregation and will benefit not only our own members but the wide community.
We hope to start a Gardening Club in the new church season …. more about this anon!
Our Mental Health Team also raised awareness of the benefits of being out and about in nature with a programme of events for Mental Health Week which included walks and an open-air concert: Proms in the Car Park which attracted around 250 people on a sunny afternoon in May.
During our Platinum Jubilee Celebrations on 3rd June, HPC invited Lady Mary Peters to plant HPC’s Jubilee Tree, an oak tree, with help from the many children present, as a symbol of hope and possibility for the future.
As part of our other objectives, our Minister, Rev Dr Allen Sleith, who represents PCI in Eco Congregation Ireland, and also sits on the PCI Stewardship of Creation Panel, invited Rev Gabrielle Farquhar, chaplain to Jubilee Farm in Glynn, Larne to speak to both our young people and older folk too at a Creation Care Service on 29th May. Gabrielle had brought some tree seedlings for our young people to plant. The service is still available to watch online via the HPC website / facebook page https://www.hillsboroughpresbyterianchurch.com/services.
We also had a small band of volunteers to cover a Litter Pick in April around some streets in the Hillsborough area and we collected 9 bags of rubbish, ranging from discarded crisp bags, sweet wrappers, cigarette butts, bottles, old shoes, car parts and take away boxes and coffee cups. Thanks to Michael Francey who co-ordinated it, and to our local council (Lisburn City & Castlereagh) for giving us the necessary equipment and collecting the filled bags. It is good to work in partnership for the benefit of our community.
Ann Davey provides the congregation with a monthly Eco Tip to raise awareness and challenge each of us in our congregation to take small steps to help our environment.
Finally, I enjoyed an interesting afternoon in the beautiful and tranquil setting of Hugh’s Meadows in Parkgate and thank A Rocha, Bertie Stirling and Frank Ellison for organising the day.