In September 2020 we agreed to commit to becoming a Net Zero Carbon District by 2040, at the latest.
On this page, you’ll find progress information, stories, successes, and resources for churches.
For more information contact our District Net Zero Officer, Tim O’Brien, part of our District Team – netzero@yorkshirenemethodist.org
Our Commitment to good stewardship of the earth's precious resources
The groundwork to identify 2040 as a feasible target was extensive and was led by Prof Simon Pringle, an expert in Sustainability and Innovation. All of our 200+ churches had an initial audit, from which we identified 40 churches suitable for an early transition to Net Zero. This has given us confidence that the District, and the Circuits and churches within it, can achieve Net Zero through these measures:
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- Targeted refurbishment of properties including conversion to locally generated green energy where possible (see our Tea & PV project below)
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- Switching to green energy tariffs; and
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- Commitments to lowering personal carbon footprints through travel and the choices we make about what we buy and consume.
Since these priorities were identified in 2020, we have been busy puzzling out the practicalities of how to decarbonise our buildings. With help from the Rural Community Energy Fund 36 churches were assessed to establish a practical Pathway to Net Zero, with a good number of churches now benefiting from capital works projects to improve energy efficiency of their buildings and generate some electricity for themselves. None of this work would have been possible without the generous support of grantmakers, to whom we are extremely grateful. Particular thanks to: York and North Yorkshire Combine Authority, The Benefact Trust, The Congregational & General Charitable Trust, The North East & Yorkshire Net Zero Hub, and Energy for Tomorrow. In addition, the expertise from D3 Associates and the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub has proved invaluable.
awards
ASHDEN AWARDS
We’re excited to announce the District is a finalist for the 2024 Ashden Awards for People’s Energy for helping UK communities power up local energy solutions.
Over 500 organisations applied and we are among seventeen outstanding organisations delivering innovative climate solutions that have reached the finals of the prestigious 2024 Ashden Awards.
Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on 27 June 2024, during London Climate Action Week.
COMMUNITY ENERGY AWARDS
Yorkshire North & East Methodist District was shortlisted as a finalist for the Community Engagement and Inclusion Award at the #CommunityEnergy Awards 2023 by Community Energy England
“The Yorkshire N&E Methodist District’s journey toward Net Zero was not just about achieving a numerical target. It is an illustration of how a community-led approach, powered by volunteers and inclusivity, can create a meaningful impact.”
We are so grateful to North East & Yorkshire Net Zero Hub, Energy for Tomorrow (EfT), Benefact Trust, Community Energy England for the funding and support you’ve given us to get us firmly on our Pathway to Net Zero. Huge thanks to d3associates for bringing our projects to fruition.
https://communityenergyengland.org/events/community-energy-awards-2023
building sustainable hope project
Following on from the successful Tea and PV and Net Zero Near You projects, the Yorkshire North and East Methodist District is continuing its journey towards a more eco-friendly future with a new project that began in 2024.
We gained funding from the newly-formed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA), and this has enabled us to launch our most ambitious project to date. The name was chosen as it is intended to not only focus on our church buildings, but also to build upon the work done in previous projects.
Our District was one of 180 bidders for Net Zero Fund grants, and only one of 25 that were successful. The agreement was signed in August 2024. We committed to a challenging set of targets:
Five churches were initially part of the funding agreement: Wreyfield Drive and Westborough in Scarborough; Acomb in York; Northallerton; and Bishop Monkton.
Late in 2024, Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough was added to the project, to compensate for issues discovered at Acomb, where evidence of bats was found in a roof scheduled for replacement.
All outputs are on track to be delivered by mid-June 2025; the work at Wreyfield Drive and Bishop Monkton is already complete.
In February, YNYCA Net Zero Fund approached the District to see whether further outputs could be achieved with additional funds, but still before the end of June, when all Net Zero Fund projects must have concluded! With the help of our long-standing technical project management team at D3 Associates, we identified twelve additional churches that will enable us to achieve an additional 24 tonnes of CO2e savings a year. In an effort to spread these blessings a little further, one of these churches, at Great Ayton, lies within our neighbouring Darlington District.
Funding to support this scheme has been allocated from the York and North Yorkshire Net Zero Fund. This fund is led by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, using investment secured from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
tea and pv project
The Yorkshire North & East Methodist District is leading the pathway towards Net Zero for the 200+ churches in its care. The current project is called Tea & PV, the PV being photovoltaic panels, commonly known as solar panels, that convert light into electricity. These are being installed on selected churches across this part of Yorkshire and showcasing them to promote solar panels and the Net Zero objective.
The Tea and PV project, generously funded by Centrica’s Energy for Tomorrow programme has supported the installation of solar panels on a sample of churches in the District. Through expertise provided by D3Associates, the project has provided churches of all sizes, in a range of settings, the chance to generate their own power – showing these installations can work just about anywhere.
The project is engaging church communities to help them understand the benefit of renewable energy. To show the power of the new solar panels, churches have been translating the energy they generate into a straightforward measure: how many cups of tea could be brewed with it. Across 10 churches with solar monitoring in place, the number of cups of tea which could have been brewed since the panels were installed over the last few months stands at: 4,855,506 as of 11th April 2025.
In addition to reducing carbon footprint, solar panels reduce the amount of electricity needed from the grid, so churches are seeing lower bills. It is hoped showing what is being generated on screens at churches will ignite conversation and encourage people to ask questions about the solar panels and other Net Zero measures. The congregations and local communities will then be able to see how much difference the panels are making, one cup of tea at a time.
If you have solar panels and internet and are interested in finding out more about installing a solar monitoring solution, please contact: martin@sundog-consulting.net
The Churches
The Tea and PV involved the following churches
- Hedon (South Holderness Methodist Circuit)
- Sewerby (Bridge Circuit) – check out a video about it here
- Northallerton (Thirsk and Northallerton Circuit)
- Summerbridge (Bridge Circuit)
- Acomb (York Circuit)
- Queen Street, Scarborough (North Yorkshire Coast Circuit)
- Porholme (Goole and Selby Circuit)
- Killinghall (Nidd Valley)
stories from around the district
Articles by The Methodist Church
Yorkshire North and East District moving towards Carbon Net Zero
https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/the-methodist-blog/yorkshire-north-and-east-district-moving-towards-carbon-net-zero/
The Tea & PV project in Yorkshire North & East
https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/the-methodist-blog/the-tea-pv-project-in-yorkshire-north-east/
Summerbridge Methodist Church
Gold Eco Church award – Summerbridge Methodist Church
Congratulations to Summerbridge Methodist Church who have been given an a Rocha Eco Church scheme Gold award, after lots of hard work! The scheme looked at all aspects of our church life including worship, buildings, community engagement and more. For details take a look at https://www.summerbridgechurch.org/caring-for-our-world Particular thanks to the Young Church team who refurbished the tarmac ‘garden’ beside the Church last year.
https://www.facebook.com/MethodistChurchinBritain/videos/633739684237706
Summerbridge were featured on the Methodist Church Podcast, the full episode can be found here: https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/podcasts/the-methodist-podcast-episode-32/
For more information contact our District Net Zero Officer, Tim O’Brien, part of our District Team – netzero@yorkshirenemethodist.org