A SMALL eco-friendly church has won an award after opening a recycling centre in a bid to help the environment.

St Boniface in Hale Road, Woodgreen, has secured a bronze eco-church award from A Rocha UK, a charity that aims to help protect and restore the natural world.

The recycling centre was opened in May last year with the help of the Rev Nicky Davies, assistant curate of the Avon Valley Partnership. She said: “The centre was set-up for community use and we collect unwanted items that can be of use to others and benefit charities.

“For example used stamps go to raise funds for the Leprosy Mission and we collect jam jars for local use for people making jam – especially useful at the moment.

“There are lots of other things, too, such as aluminium foil, old printer cartridges and batteries.

“We are especially pleased to have received the eco-award for this work and other things such only using eco-friendly cleaning products.

“We are very proud to be a Fairtrade Church as well and this work is also assessed as part of the eco-award.

“I must say a big ‘thank you’ to churchgoers and others here for their support. It wouldn’t be possible without everyone working so well together.”

Speaking at the launch last year the Rev Davies said: “We’re very excited about our mini-recycling centre – there’s a lot of local interest.

“We look forward to it evolving as local people suggest other items that we can recycle or reuse.

“Our planet is precious and it is up to us to care for God’s creation. We hope this will encourage local people to increase what they recycle.

“We live in a materialistic society. We need to take seriously how we use and then recycle, or reuse what we have so that we don’t contribute or add to the problem of our huge rubbish tips.”

St Boniface dates from 1913 and was originally a church reading room. It became a church in 1949 and was extended to its present size in 1963.