New gardening projects in churches in our diocese have been helping communities feed their bodies and their spirits.
At Christ Church in Skipton, children from the Sunday school are sharing God’s bounty with the help of an innovative scheme that provides fresh, healthy food to the community entirely free of charge.
Local charity, Incredible Edible Skipton, installed two raised beds in the churchyard in Cross Street, and over the winter they were filled with soil and compost.
In the spring, once the danger of frost had passed, the Incredible Edible team of volunteers supplied the church with vegetable seedlings raised in their polytunnel on the Middletown allotments site nearby.
With the arrival of the warm weather the seedlings have flourished and there are healthy crops of peas, cabbage, kale, onions, broccoli, lettuce and Swiss chard that are maturing.
The idea is that anyone from the local community can harvest the crop whenever they like.
The scheme is supported by Skipton Town Council, which maintains the churchyard, and a small team from the church’s congregation look after watering and weeding.
On a recent Sunday, after the morning service, Sunday school children took over watering duties and learned a little about the vegetables and how to care for them.
Churchwarden Bill Carmichael said: “I think everyone got a bit wet, but it was great to get the children involved.
“It is a fantastic scheme and we are glad to play a part and provide fresh, healthy vegetables for anyone who wants them.
“It is great for community engagement and to promote healthy eating, and with food prices rising as fast as they are, it could be really useful for many families.
“The crops are doing very well and some are already maturing – so if you fancy a nice fresh head of lettuce, or some kale or Swiss chard, just come along and take what you like.”
No pesticides have been used and the crops are 100% organic, although as with any vegetable it is recommended that they be washed before use.
The Incredible Edible network started in 2008 in Todmorden in West Yorkshire and has since grown to more than 100 groups in the UK and 600 globally.
You can find out more about the charity, and how to volunteer, at www.incredibleedible.org.uk.
At the Church of the Epiphany Gipton people have been working with Create Change, a community development group, to turn their garden into a space to support physical and emotional wellbeing as part of their Thrive project.
Donna Cutting, Community Development Worker for Create Change, said: "We have been exploring seasonal growing which link in strongly with our Seasonal Change walks in our local Gipton Nature Reserve.
“Exploring ways to enhance our health with seasonal teas, fruit vinegars and beeswax balms.
“The seasonal thread is a strong one in the Thrive project, helping people to focus on the changing beauty around them enhancing well bring.
“We have had well attended community action days to help clear the space, allowing people to come along when they can't give a regular commitment to our usual session.
“We've also recently had a lovely Great Get Together event with over 50 people and even more children coming along to spend time with each other in the memory of Jo Cox.
“We hope this will get bigger and better over the coming years.
“So hopefully, the garden can provide space for quiet individual moments of quiet contemplation alongside community gatherings.
“We are taking it slow, little by little, sowing seeds, watching the seasonal changes and adapting as we go.
“For myself, it’s fantastic to be back at this wonderful gem of Gipton, the Church of the Epiphany, a beautiful grade 1 listed building.
“Each week we spend time in the garden and then come together across a table to share tea, stories and tasty seasonal treats, as well learning alongside each other how to make things cheaply or free to support our health and wellbeing."