26/08/2026
“We saw the Church of England’s target date of 2030 and just thought that we would make a start and give it a go,” said Diana Linford, Parish Environment Officer for St Mary’s Embsay with Eastby, in the Diocese of Leeds.
The church was heated by an old gas boiler that had to be turned on at 3am for a Sunday service, and which contributed towards 10 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
“God has given us the earth, and we have a responsibility for that,” said Revd Marion Russell, vicar of the parish when the project happened. “We asked ourselves what was in our hands that we could do. One of the great gifts in this congregation is people with passion.”
The church views social justice and climate concerns as central to its life and faith. It has been a Fairtrade church for 10 years and has also won a Gold Eco Church award.
The team made a plan to trial different types of heaters and by installing samples of under-pew, knee-level panels and wall-mounted infra-red heaters in 2024.
“We have a strong sense of social justice,” said church member Peter Edwards. “We have agency and we could do something about this, so we did.
“We have a gift in creation which is under threat and there are things that we can all do which may bite into that threat. We can’t wave a magic wand, but we can change things here.”
After the trial, church members voted on what they liked the best. A mix of heaters was installed: 24 under-pew heaters, 13 knee-level heaters and seven wall heaters. The electricity supply was upgraded to cope with this load. The gas boiler was then switched off permanently.
The project cost £53,000, much of which came from grants including the Church of England’s Diocesan Building Fund, North Yorkshire Council and the Net Zero Carbon Programme’s match-funding Give To Go Green Scheme. Some £3,500 came from villagers who were inspired by what the church was doing. “We were very encouraged by that,” said Peter.
By using a renewable electricity supplier and continuing to improve insulation and reduce draughts, St Mary’s has changed to become temperate as the norm. Now thermostats have been introduced for each pew so that the 40 churchgoers can be as warm, or cool, as they like.
The changes have also been aimed at the wider community as the church lies at the heart of the village. It is the site for children’s groups and concerts.
“We needed to be a space that would be warm enough for all those groups,” said Diana. “If it’s warm, it’s part of the welcome.”
For former vicar, Marion, the project has been vital in “sowing seeds” to inspire individuals and other churches, including neighbouring St Matthew’s Leyburn. There has been interested from a good number of churches in the region who have attended workshops run by St Mary’s.
“We have encouraged other churches and that’s borne fruit. We are thrilled with that,” she said. “There’s a sense that this has changed us and changed others.”
