The efforts of a church in Cornwall to be greener have been rewarded with a national accolade.

Braddock Church has won silver in the Eco Church Awards, which recognise work done by churches to protect the environment.

Much of the work at Braddock Church has been pioneered by churchwarden Robert Pearce.

Rob has established a range of initiatives involving the community and local school in the life of the church, in a parish between Liskeard and Bodmin.

He said: “The school is an important part of our worshipping community. We have a very good relationship with them.”

Children from all stages of Braddock Primary School – from the reception class through to Year 6 – have helped in the churchyard and in the school grounds to sow seeds, plant apple and oak trees, and build a bumblebee garden.

Ben Lillie, environment officer at the Diocese of Truro, was invited to a ceremony at the church to present children from the school with the award.

He said: “This is a real achievement and the really great news is how the church and the local school partnered together in this essential work.

“The way the church has engaged with the school and the community is simply amazing. The children’s commitment is such a great example. I left inspired!”

The church building itself is A-rated on the Diocese of Truro’s energy efficiency scale. Its total annual carbon footprint is more than offset by the grass and trees in its grounds.

The church was registered as a Cornwall Living Churchyard several years ago, and, according to a survey conducted by the Cornwall Wildflower Group, it now hosts 147 different varieties of plants.

The Cornwall Bat Group has identified five species of bats in the churchyard.

The church has also developed an outdoor reflective area in its grounds. It has its own altar, so that services can be held there in good weather. People can also use it to sit, reflect, rest or even have a picnic.

As well as providing visitors with leaflets about its wildflowers and bats, and running a wildlife trail through its grounds, Braddock Church is about to launch an online information point. Using the church’s wi-fi, people will be able to scan a QR code to access a wealth of information about the parish, its history and its natural history. It’s the first church in Cornwall to have introduced this digital facility.

Rob said: “We do our best to make people environmentally aware – in a nice way. It was very nice to win the award. And it was particularly good because the children have been involved in the whole process.

“Planting trees on a cold winter’s day might not be the most exciting experience you can have at school – but coming back here on a beautiful summer’s day to see their trees and their bee garden, and to be presented with the award, that was very special.”