The Church of St Mary de Haura

Celebrating Biodiversity

The title 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' reflected the United Nations designation of 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, which refers to the amazing richness and variety of wildlife and habitats on earth and our duty to conserve them.

St Mary's churchyard became a focus for both study (with a children's wildlife trail and long grass conservation area) and enjoyment (from Teresa Martin's outdoor sculptures), while the Adur artists provided their own interpretations of the theme around the walls and pillars inside the church. This exhibition was, in fact, a 'taster' for the wider Adur Art Trail around the whole district and encouraged visitors to carry on to the artists other venues where more work was on show during the Festival.

'Adopt a Grave'

Other aspects of St Mary's churchyard celebration came to fruition during the Festival fortnight – the 'Adopt a Grave' scheme proved very popular and many of the Victorian graves became colourful flower gardens once more.

'The Flowery Mead'

The area to the east of the church was identified as being ideal for creating a long grass conservation garden. The Adur District Council team who look after the churchyard agreed to create a path but not cut the grass in this area for the summer season.

This was explained to visitors on the following notice:

'This area of the churchyard will not be mowed this summer so that the natural grasses and flowers can flourish and butterflies, bees and other insects can feed and shelter here. The title 'Flowery Mead' is a medieval one, used for rich meadows sown with a variety of flowers, and is therefore very appropriate in this ancient churchyard which dates from the twelfth century. Please help us by not walking across this area.'

A large number of old grass varieties emerged, along with quantities of buttercups, daisies, clover, and other meadow plants. "Traditional hay meadows like this one used to be the mainstay of rural Britain", reports a BBC News article, 'Conservationists warn of hay meadow decline', published at the time the St Mary's 'Flowery Mead' was established. "But these pretty meadows have all but vanished from the face of the countryside... the loss is having a worrying impact on biodiversity."

Butterfly and Bee Flowerbed

The flower bed near the War Memorial entrance to the churchyard also became a blaze of colour as the seeds we planted in the spring responded to the sunshine and attracted many bees and butterflies, much to the delight of passers by.

Encouraging Wildlife

Further additions to the area were squirrel and bird feeders, nesting boxes and 'bee logs', and a wood pile for insects.

'All Things Weird and Wonderful'

A popular addition to our Festival programme was the Seashore Theatre Company's performances of 'All Things Weird and Wonderful' – a play by local writer Jennifer Pulling, based on episodes from Shoreham's history, complete with the Green Man and the brass figures from St Mary's south aisle.

St Mary's Heritage Lectures 2010

St Mary's Heritage is a series of free lectures for the whole community, given in St Mary's. This year's theme was 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' – a celebration of the natural world to mark the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity 2010.