Creation Care

Sheldon Road Church is committed to do all we can to care for God’s Creation in our worship, lifestyle and engagement with our community. 
We include this commitment in our church vision: Caring for the whole of God’s creation so that it thrives now and into future generations.
We are part of A Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme, and we are currently working towards the Gold Award.

	Wildlife in the Warmth—Help hedgehogs in hot weather (assuming we get some…..). Hedgehogs particularly need help in a heatwave, as their usual prey of slugs, snails and worms are often unavailable. Leaving out a juicy snack, such as mealworms or canned dog food, can help in sustained warm weather. If you have a garden pond, ensure there’s always a way for hedgehogs (and other small mammals) to climb out if they fall in.  Help birds in hot weather. Keeping your bird bath topped up with fresh water in warmer weather can be a life saver for our feathered friends, and provide a shallow saucer of water with some small stones to refresh insects like butterflies and bees. Get your garden birds through a heatwave when natural supplies, like worms, become scarce, by putting out supplementary food—black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked sultanas, raisins and currants, mealworms, waxworms and good seed mixture..
How to reduce garden pests without pesticide—Pick off the pests -  keep an eye out for caterpillars, aphids, slugs and other vegetable chompers and handpick what the birds and hedgehogs don’t get first. Wrap up your veg - use horticultural fleece to cover newly planted vegetables as a non-toxic means of pest control. Protect your crop - the birds that you have tempted into your garden might not differentiate between what’s meant for them and what’s meant for your table. As long as there is plenty for them to eat, protect your fruit with netting and jangly items like strung-up tin cans and CDs. Stop slugs by creating a barrier that they won't want to cross. Wool pellets, eggshells, coffee grounds, bark and soot all work. However, they do require some maintenance - reapplying is key.
Keeping informed on climate change—sign up to receive emails from organisations on the frontline of making a difference worldwide on climate change.   Arise is a global movement of Christians which suggests a Biblical, researched, holistic and practical vision for a transformed world through information, prayer and action together.   Positive.news: a digital/physical magazine which collects and distributes news of good changes globally, including aspects of climate change action.   Zero Chippenham is our local community group with resources to help all of us reduce our carbon footprint: find out how to reduce carbon emissions, waste and pollution.
Food to look out for in July
Wondering if roof-top solar panels are right for you? The Centre for Sustainable Energy (Bristol) introduces an online tool to calculate a building’s solar capacity: it shows you how much electricity you could generate with rooftop solar panels, how much it would cost to get them installed, and how quickly you could earn this back through savings on your energy bills. It’s free and simple to use — just enter your address to explore your home’s solar potential, at Solar Wizard.
Saturday 29th June, 11am-4pm -  a craft de-stash sale at King Alfred Hall in Chippenham. There will be plenty of bargains to be had from crafters who are downsizing their craft stash. Strictly no finished products to be sold. Yarn, fabric, jewellery findings, beads, paper, stamps, dies, we hope to have them all. We will be taking donations on the day both monetary and craft bits in aid of Springboard Pre-School in Chippenham. (Sandra Sutton, on Chippenham Notice Board, 07917 631650)