Yapton’s St Mary’s Churchyard is set to flourish with a £450 donation from housebuilder Barratt Homes, helping to support local wildlife and create a peaceful greenspace for the local community to enjoy.

Built from 1180 on a Saxon site, St Mary’s Church has long been a cornerstone of the local community. Two years ago, it joined the Eco Church initiative, a programme led by the charity A Rocha to inspire Christians to care for nature.

Since then, the church has introduced log piles, a bug hotel, and a dead hedge to create natural habitats, resulting in sightings of slow-worms, toads, and even a young grass snake last summer.

The Church’s environmental commitments earned the church a Bronze Eco Award, encouraging the team to continue their efforts and inspire other members of the congregation to get involved.

placeholder image — Bird Boxes in Churchyard

The donation from Barratt Homes will be used to introduce flowering plants for pollinator species and towards installing birdboxes and butterfly shelters to further support local wildlife.

This forms part of the housebuilders’ ongoing commitment to ecology and working with community groups that are supporting pollinators and the local environment.

Alex Dowling, Sales & Marketing Director at Barratt David Wilson Southern Counties commented: “St Mary’s Church has shown a real commitment to enhancing the churchyard's green space and encouraging biodiversity to flourish. Creating natural habitats and promoting wildlife conservation is a fantastic initiative, and we are proud to work closely with the community to care for the environment.”

Elaine Cordingley, churchyard volunteer at St Mary’s Yapton, added: “The donation from Barratt Homes will go a long way in helping us enhance the churchyard and create a welcoming space for both the community and wildlife. With this support, we can build on our commitments to sustainability and nature conservation, whilst also inspiring others to take action in caring for our environment.”