How should we respond? Andy Atkins, A Rocha UK’s CEO comments.

Our Partners in Action: growing healthy food and healthy communities Many of our 44 Partners in Action see growing food with nature-friendly techniques as a core part of caring for both nature and people. Be inspired by some of our partners and learn more about how they are growing healthy food and creating wildlife-rich ecosystems at the same time. 

Upcoming Events Our events can help you to think about, discuss, pray and respond to the climate and biodiversity crises. Why not join us at one or more of our events? You can invite your friends and church family too. Here’s what’s coming up: -Redeeming food webinar on 3 July, 7-8pm. We’ll explore how we can redeem food - how we can produce it and eat it in ways that are affordable and that support human and planetary health. You’ll hear from contributors to the current, food and environment focused edition of our Root & Branch magazine, as well from Hazelnut Community Farm, one of our Partners in Action. Register for this free event here.

- National Meadows Day on 1 July and guided dragonfly walks on 8 July at Foxearth Meadows Nature Reserve. Come along to our family-friendly meadows event on 1 July between 10:30am - 3:30pm at our rural reserve in Essex.  Or to mark National Dragonfly Week, wing your way over on 8 July for a guided walk led by writer and wildlife guide, David Chandler (at 10.30am or 1.30pm). Booking is essential for the dragonfly walks - contact Mark Prina, Reserve Manager, on 07548 209652 or at  mark.prina@arocha.org. No booking is required for the meadows event.

- Act for Nature event at Wolf Fields Nature Reserve on 16 September. Continuing our series of Act for Nature events, come to Wolf Fields, our urban reserve in Southall, West London, to take part in some practical conservation work, learn about - and do some - campaigning, meet other A Rocha UK supporters, as well as staff and trustees. So far this year supporters and the team have enjoyed fun and inspiring Act for Nature days at Scargill House in North Yorkshire, Emmanuel Church in Bungay and Highgrove Church near Bristol. So, if you live within reach of our wasteland-to-wonderland London reserve, why not join us, and bring a friend or two. Register for free here.

- Open air service at Foxearth Meadows on 24 September at 3pm. Another fantastic opportunity to experience praising God in the beauty of His creation. The Foxearth Meadows team will be joined by special guest speaker and Chair of our Trustees, the Rev. Mike Perry. All are welcome.

A Rocha UK Vacancies PA/Office Manager: We are looking for a full time PA/Office Manager to support the Chief Executive work in leading and representing the organisation, and to ensure the office runs smoothly, including managing the relationship with our external IT provider. The position will be based in our Brentford (West London) office. This is a one year contract, initially. More details will be on our website shortly.

Trustees: We are looking for people with a vision for Christian environmental care to become members of our Board of Trustees. Could this be you? You will join an existing team who are passionate about helping our staff fulfil A Rocha UK’s vision. In particular, we are looking for people with experience in nature conservation, environmental care in churches, charity or business management and finance. We would value applications from people with professional and on-the-job experience and are keen to increase the diversity of our board in terms of cultural heritage and gender. We believe it is vital that our decision-making includes the voices of those who are often excluded and seek to develop an organisation where people of all backgrounds feel welcome. Typically, there are four board meetings a year as well as other opportunities to engage with our work. These are voluntary positions. Closing date: 31 July.

Eco Tip - make one ‘good-for-creation’ change to your approach to food and eating. This was a challenge put to readers in CEO Andy Atkins’s ‘Redeeming food’ article in the spring/summer issue of Root & Branch. Whether it’s switching a product to Fairtrade, growing your own or taking the YCCN’s Veg Pledge for a week, what one change could you make?