August 12, 2010

Church bells to ring for biodiversity


by David Masters

Church bells across the UK will ring next month to mark crucial United Nations talks on biodiversity.

Bell ringers at all kinds of places of worship from small parish churches to large cathedrals will ring their bells on 22 September as the UN General Assembly meets to discuss the biodiversity crisis for the first time ever.

This year is the UN 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, and the Church of England is one of the year’s official partners in the UK.

“As Christians we believe it is important to care for God’s creation and our natural world is suffering because of our own actions,” said David Shreeve, national environment adviser to the Church of England.

“Many of our estimated 10,000 churchyards are full with often rare biodiversity and others in towns and cities support fewer, but equally important wildlife.

“The church is providing protected havens right on our own doorstep.”

Jill Hopkinson, National Rural Officer at the Church, added: “Ringing the church bells is a great way for the wider community to be reminded and to celebrate the beauty of creation.

“Rural churches are at the heart of village life and their churchyards are part of the collective history and memory of that community.

“Celebrating the biodiversity of countryside and churchyard will bring a community together and ringing the bells is a very prominent way of doing it.”

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