St Matthews Church, Bristol
Registered Charity Number: 1134719
About the Charity
St Matthew’s is a thriving Anglican Church in Kingsdown, Bristol, serving the local and wider communities – a pioneering church in the church’s national journey to net zero.
What our grant will help to fund
Over the last 12 month’s St Matthew’s has been hosting a trial of innovative radiant heating chandeliers. These use a very gentle wavelength of heat, similar to that of the winter sun, without the harsh and potentially damaging effects of previous radiant heating systems.
Because they warm just the space needed not the whole church, they are much cheaper to run than a central heating system and are zero carbon. The trial has been very successful and shown that the new system has game-changing potential in enabling churches to decarbonise their heating.
The grant will allow St Matthew’s to make the trial installation permanent and to extend it, adding further heaters such that the heating for the entire worship space provides better comfort than ever before, with far lower energy costs and with zero carbon. This helps St Matthew’s fulfil humankind’s essential response to climate change, shows better care for creation and demonstrates ‘love they neighbour’ in a truly global sense.
That benefits to the 100’s of church and secular groups that use their building every week, but also inspires and encourages by demonstrating to other churches that net zero is not only possible, but better in every way.
“In the context of a cost of energy crisis, this innovation could save a lot of money and enable church buildings to stay financially viable. In the context of a climate crisis, this could be a huge step towards net zero – a means by which parishes can act to make a real difference to the planet.”
Canon Simon Pugh-Jones, Chair of the Bristol Diocesan Committee
