Climate Adaptation - Climate breakdown is happening. How can churches help their communities prepare for what’s coming?

 On Saturday 15 November, it was the organisation Green Christian's annual conference - this year held in Peterborough - and I went down on Friday so that I could attend the board committee meeting the day before.

The theme was

Climate breakdown is happening.  How can churches help their communities prepare for what’s coming?

This blog post tells of my experiences -
So you can find out about,

• Flooding in Cumbria,
• A rail journey that worked with no delays, interesting characters I met on route,
• Why and how churches and individuals might prepare for climate change - whether it be warming or cooling
• Interesting features of Peterborough
• Some thoughts

On Thursday I got my bags packed ready with waterproofs as the weather forecast said "100% chance of heavy rain in Peterborough all day on Friday." I planned to go to bed at 10pm, but had so many jobs to finish about publicity and posters and decisions for other groups I am involved with, plus printing out all the papers for the committee meeting the following day that it was after 2.30pm when I went to bed.

On Friday I left the house at 7.12 am with plenty of time to park near Settle station. It was tremendously windy. Would my car be safe parked under the trees with their branches thrashing above? Still, I had no choice.

On the platform I met three friends from three different "lives" in Settle - Anne Michelmore-Brown, Pete Lawrence and Philippa Hinde, all catching the early morning train at 7.27. Nice to feel part of our community. The train was on time. Amazing.

As we approached Leeds I chatted to a man, who had come all the way from Carlisle. "It's flooding in Carlisle!" he said. ("I will be going there in two months to the Lichen Society AGM" I thought). He had left at 5.49am - So glad we kept the Settle Carlisle line open all those years ago..

The train sped south through the huge flat fields of the productive fenlands - where so much of our UK food is grown.

It arrived on time at just after 10am in Peterborough, (in heavy rain.) I put on all my hiking waterproofs. I walked and explored a little of Peterborough and ended up in the Queensgate Shopping Centre. No sales. In the concourse I passed a stall setting up - "Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue".

I doubled back. In Settle area we have CRO - Cave Rescue Organisation - "Saving Lives above and below ground in the Yorkshire Dales". I hadn't thought of flat areas like Peterborough needing a rescue organisation. I gave a small donation to support them, and they insisted on my taking a small gift so I took a red pen.

I arrived at St Mark's church hall on Lincoln Road at just after 11am, took off my waterproofs and draped them on chairs along with several other drying coats.

Then I put them on again and walked back to the road junction three minutes away to buy some lunch. I chose "Go" Palestine Sandwiches and bought a hot falafel sandwich. Across the road I entered a store selling Eastern European products - Ukrainian, Polish and a host of other countries. The products on the shelves were imported from these countries. I chose a packet with a picture of crackers with sesame seeds. It was produced in Romania.

We started our meeting promptly at 12 including 2 members on Zoom and spent the first 30 minutes or so trying to arrange next year's committee meetings. Meanwhile the final three members of our committee arrived.

It was nice to see people in the flesh, rather than by Zoom. Much of the business had happened two weeks ago in a Zoom meeting and by putting reports onto Google Drive - the reports I had printed out and read on the way down.

At lunch time I heated and shared my falafel sandwich. And ate some of Ruth's nice cake.

In the afternoon we discussed various things. Just one of them was a discussion on race / colour / inclusivity. In my simplistic terms my concern is that we ought to have pictures of more colours of people on the website and other physical appearances - so that people can see "People like themselves" on the website, and so might find it easier to join. It is hard to say anything without it being taken in the wrong way.

We explored the church with regard to setting up the conference the next day.

Most of the committee walked though the rain to the Premier Hotel 20 min away. I accepted a lift in the taxi with two of the others. I phoned up a non-board member who had arranged to meet us there.

We had supper at the Premier Inn. We discussed Green Christian's "Food Campaign" before eating.

I went to bed at 9.30pm. Wonderful. Then wasted twenty minutes flicking between channels on the TV, and watching an advertorial programme about cordless vacuum cleaners.

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I set the alarm for Saturday for 6.30am but lay in bed watching tv a while. Then I had a shower and and got my brain engaged working out how it worked. I photographed the little messages left on folder card in the room - Maybe useful to make notices elsewhere using the same template.-

I listened to the prayer on my mobile phone internet - Green Christian is holding 10 minute long prayers every morning of COP30 (The climate conference) Here is the prayer. Today it was delivered by Barbara Echlin.. from her bedroom along the corridor. They carry on next week till the end of COP30.

The skin of life on the surface of our globe is fragile and affected by climate. The climate is affected by the way one organism - humans (also including I suppose, our gut flora) - is changing the composition of the environment. .. so that it will be less favorable for human life.

And here we have the 30th Climate COP - with representatives of fossil fuel companies there and business people and bankers fighting for their businesses of for their profits and share holders and power.

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Already later than the others who had been staying at the hotel, I took a slightly longer route back to the church, past the cathedral and market square. (and because I went wrong via the shopping mall again).. taking photos en route.. of the Norman Cathedral and ancient market place. But everything was running smoothly as I arrived and I had time to look at the display and chat to a few people.

We held the AGM. The work of Green Christian is organised under several committees/projects and a leader of representative of each of these sat at the front and said one sentence (or slightly more) of highlights of what their group had done. Then the treasurer was allowed 10 minutes plus questions.

Then Coffee.

Then Rupert Read of the Climate Majority spoke. He was introduced by Melanie Nazareth

(Link to video to come)

Then it was lunch. As people left the church Cat and I gave them a pink post it note. They were asked to write in six words or fewer and answer to the question "Climate breakdown is happening. How can churches help their communities prepare for what’s coming?"

Then after lunch we would collect them and a team would sort them into 8 piles. After the afternoon speakers, and afternoon tea we would then discuss in 8 groups of up to 10 each taking one topic, and provide a one sentence answer.

In the last half of the lunch-hour I walked back to "Go" Palestine Sandwiches and bought two more sandwiches, one as a meal deal including drink and chips. When I returned it was the end of lunch and CAT was collecting in the questions.

Jo Chamberlain of and Adrian Fox of the CfE Environment programme gave two good talks (Videos to come). Adrian Fox is the Environmental Sustainability Officer at the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Department. He gave some very practica advide and stories. At the conference he said to me "Faith may not be flashy but neither is a well maintained gutter, but both helps us weather the storm of climate.

Rev Vanessa Elston gave and inspiring talk (Video to come)

At afternoon tea break I attempted to be helpful. There was a big moist apple cake uncut - and most of the other cakes and biscuits were nearly finished. So I found a large knife by another cake and started carefully cutting it into narrow slices. I got half way round the cake when a lady appeared with another knife "I went to get a clean knife. " she said "That is a gluten free cake - and now that you have cut it with a knife that has been used on other cakes we can no longer call those slices gluten free." She showed the the notice with tiny handwriting saying gluten free next to the cake.

Oh dear.

Afterwards I walked round and took photos of people in their groups attempting to write a one sentence answer.

I collected some Green Christian leaflets and posters to take back to Settle and helped tidy up.

I walked to the railway station and as I had time, photographed a young tree near the station - 99.9% covered with - yes - Xanthoria parietina lichen. This lichen indicates there is much nitrogen compounds in the air. From fertilizer and from traffic.

I caught the return home train (on time - amazing) , changed at Leeds, met more friends from Settle on the train to Settle, found my car safe in spite of Friday's winds and got home by 9.15.

I intended to go to bed at 10, but decided to download my pictures and put them on Green Christian Google drive for others to use. .. So "Oh dear," another 2pm bed-time.

I will add some pictures and more details in a few days. and put links to the talks once they have been made into Youtube videos.

I hope I can get our little Eco-Group at Settle Methodist Church to watch the videos and have discussions about them.

The Tree

 Well, I have made it...

       The Tree.

I made it yesterday ready for Eco Explorers on Monday and Tuesday after school next week - Eco-explorers for families with children aged (2-) 4 to 11.

A big thank you to Steve the Caretaker who dug out the green paint (and roller) to cover the board we put on the lower wall.

Now.. let's see what we do with it.  He  had some suggestions.

Do you have any?

Waxcaps at Thruscross Reservoir - 1st November Walk - Clavaria incarnata

On 1st November I could not go on a monthly 1st of the month Settle Climate Walk because.. 

I was attending a Waxcap training day. The event was funded by the Nidderdale NL FiPL (Farming in Projected Landscapes) fund and run by Nidderdale NL and the NEYEDC

This is the email (now amplified) I wrote to Claire the leader after the event after the event.

(Although dated 1 November this post is actually being written on 20 November... and i will finish it in a few days when I get more time to add the pictures)

For me the day was four events in one:

1.Waxcaps (and Clavaria incarnata - Skinny club) and meeting people

 I enjoyed learning Skinny Club and being taught that it often grows near Meadow Waxcaps    and then  finding my very own specimen of Skinny Club growing next to a Meadow Waxcap.

2. A nice walk back through the wood and leaning a few more "ordinary fungi" Elfin Saddle and Silky button (gall wasps) and Clavulinopsis rugosa

3. Looking at the Arrhenia and Ocotospora  (two more tiny fungi) with Yannah and Becky -   growing on the jelly lichen on the moss on the parapet at the reservoir  .. (feel like saying  ".. in a bog.. waydown in the valley-o").

4. Visiting a friend at Dacre on the way to Ripon afterwards. 

5. On the Monday after our Saturday - at night (4pm) A friend (Sally)  and I went to run our after school (4-5pm)  Eco-Explorers walk for families with children aged (1-_ ) 4 to 10 - the last outdoor meeting (apart from the next day Tuesday this year as the days are getting too short.

It is a good field next to the road. No families actually came -  it had rained during the day.

But Sally and I still went. There were 

Loads of large washed out Crimson waxcaps (as I expected) , a few golden waxcaps , a honey waxcap , a cedar waxcap 

and..

At the very first Meadow Waxcap I examined.. What did I find next to it?

A Skinny Club!

P.S. Claire - I find I have four red flags in the bottom of my bag.Really sorry. .. but will make good use of them and maybe save them for another year.. 

1.Waxcaps (and Clavaria incarnata - Skinny club) and meeting people

 I enjoyed learning Skinny Club and being taught that it often grows near Meadow Waxcaps    and then  finding my very own specimen of Skinny Club growing next to a Meadow Waxcap.

2. A nice walk back through the wood and leaning a few more "ordinary fungi" Elfin Saddle and Silky button (gall wasps) and Clavulinopsis rugosa

3. Looking at the Arrhenia and Ocotospora  (two more tiny fungi) with Yannah and Becky -   growing on the jelly lichen on the moss on the parapet at the reservoir  .. (feel like saying  ".. in a bog.. waydown in the valley-o").

4. Visiting a friend at Dacre on the way to Ripon afterwards. 

Haugania oederi (Rhizocarpon oederi) at How Beck, near Stainforth

A year ago, on a slab of rock near How Beck I found the bright rust orange lichen. It was a year ago. It looked like one for those two bright rust coloured lichens with black apothecia that grow on rocks with a metal influence. But which one?   Haugania (formerly Rhizocarpon oederi ) or Tremolecia atrata?

A year later I discovered another Bright rust coloured lichen south east of Settle.

I can see they are different.  

This Stainforth one is Haugania oederi.  It has blue black apothecia that are rugose, almost gyrose. The areoles are slighly convex.  (Whereas Tremolecia  has apothecia that have big rims and the central part of the apothecia on at least some apothecia is sunken.  Tremolecia areoles are concave and stick up at the edges.

My Haugania oederi was in SD8267 (almost SD8268)  (i  the red square just north of Settle and recorded in 2017)  so it was a different specimen to the one marked in SD8266 a km to the south.

Tremolecia atrata and Waxcaps on a walk along the (south) Craven Fault above Settle

 Did I tell you I had discovered lots of local Settle walks during Covid? well I learned a new footpath for me and new views today that I never found during Covid. 

And most important a new record of this metal loving lichen beyond the SE end of its main range in the North of England in The Lake District and Swaledale.

Tremolecia atrata

Where did I go?

(If you want to skip this geology detourt go straight here to the rock)

The narrow tarmac road Michell Lane that runs SE from Settle is  initially on the level at 190m above sea level. A footpath from Mitchell Lane runs from the road at 198m then up along a track beside the reservoir wood, and  parallel to the road. The rock of which the wall is made is gritstone/sandstone. The geology of the rocks here correlate / are an extension of my walk at Giggleswick

The Bedrock just here is Pendle Grit member, but the level above it and in some cases lateral to it is Brennand Grit.  (and in some cases lateral with it) is Brennand Grit.  (Click!  that must be why the reservoir was originally built here - gritstone is impermeable to water.)  How can you tell the difference between Pendle Grit and Brennand grit? - Field tips: if you see abundant rounded quartz pebbles and strong cross-beds, lean Brennand; if you see thick, massive, feldspathic beds with fewer pebbles and interbeds of silt/mud, lean Pendle. NERC Open Research Archive+1

This is a whitish lichen with black apothecia on the dark siliceous wall.
I am still thinking about this lichen.

Then the path turns ENE up through the field 

Two yellow waxcaps with yellow stipes in foreground, possibly Butter Waxcap . In the grassland just above I found Meadow Waxcap.

I climbed up this field  - a steep, steep slope to the top corner of the gritstone wall of the reservoir wood. At 258m. 

Ancient wall?

As I walked up this slope, I looked up and could see a wall running along the skyline SE from the wood wall. this one was made of big boulders with the sky showing through between. Intriguing.  Was this an ancient wall?   Some of the walls in Ireland in the Burren, made of much smaller stone, have the sky showing through like this and so do a few of the walls above Malham Tarn House.

  Or had the boulders been moved here recently (last 100 years) with the help of machinery as a way of clearing the field?  I discovered  the boulders I had been looking up to were supporting the soil of flat field above, they were a retaining wall - like a Ha-ha

See the flat field behind our big boulder in the wall

The vegetation and soil on which the boulders are perched is "old vegetation" - i.e. heathland type - Juniper Hair-cap moss (Polytrichum juniperinum) and Heath grass (Danthonia decumbens) and Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxatile)..  (Is that picture really Danthonia or is it Helictochloa pratensis- must go back and check.  Oh the risks of putting things down in print..) 

Apricot Clubs in the foreground.  Heath grass with upper surface of blade whitish so the two grooves down the centre of the blade show up.

Whereas the soil in the flat field above the boulder wall and also on the slope below starting 3m down the slope is softer-lusher-Yorkshire-Fog grass and Tufted Hair-grass and one or two rushes. (MG9 National Vegetation Classification Type)

 I initially thought this was due to improvement by muck spreading -but a search of the internet shows  there is glacial till (boulder clay:- clay and jumbled angular rocks of different sizes brought up here and deposited by the ice maybe 20,000-15000 years ago) on the ground above and below the wall, whereas the ridge where the boulders have been placed has no till. (according to Cuacera website) The bedrock is The Brennand Grit is "Very coarse, pebbly to medium-grained cross-bedded feldspathic sandstone with minor siltstone beds." I certainly noticed the pebbles in some of the rocks.

(The actual junction, the fault, between the Grit and the limestone is some 80m NE of here, across the flat field between us and Springfield Farm.)

What caught my eye was a completely different type of geology - the largest boulder in this boulder wall was a smooth siliceous rock - a glacial erratic - gleaming with patches of fluorescent green of the lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum - and contrasting with blue sky and white clouds behind.

Centre: Rhizocarpon geographicum  Right: thick thallus: Lecanora rupicola and left: ? What is on the left?

And wait -what are those evenly coloured deep russet copper coloured patches with black apothecia?

It is one of the two look-alikes Tremelecia atrata and Rhizocarpon oederi (now Haugania  oederi) . Back home after talking to ChatGPT and looking at lots of internet pictures I plump for T. atrata because the apothecia are concave, the areole surface sunken, and the prothallus very black showing between the areoles.  I had scraped off a few apothecia- one day I may see if they have simple spores just to check. 

ChatGPT did not get it all right -H oederi has three-septate spores and ChatGPT said look out for 1 septate spores in Rhizocarpon and simple spores in Tremelechia.. 

Here is a distribution map of Tremolecia atrata. 

  Settle is just left of centre near the bottom in this map, and the location of this rock is just under the second t of Settle.  This point for my Settle Record of Tremolechia atrata will get added when I send in my results. 

I also think I have found this species on another single rock c 4km north of here, near Stainforth last November. 

Oo no - it's different.  That one is Haugania oederi

that's great.

I can add two more species now to my SD86 hectad list.

At the corner of the reservoir wood wall I found Caloplaca (now Athallia) holocarpa. I pulled the small pebble sized loose stone out of the wall - I could take it home. "No I won't" I thought - "The lichens I bring home all die. It is better to leave it here and come and look for it another day.

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Pertusaria.. What?

The yellow changed to orange after 25 minutes.

On a rock at the foot of the erratic boulder there was some of our local species (I say)  "Pertusaria corallina that goes yellow and then orange with K but not red." This specimen was significantly grey rather than white (which made me think it might be P. pseudocorallina. Close inspection showed that the isidia did not have dark tips.  (Though they were slightly dark... And this close inspection led me to noticing several black dots amongst the isidia. I shall call them the parasitic lichenicolous fungus ... and say "that proves it is P corallina." 

 though I am not very confident.

This Didymodon-like moss is growing on an acid rock - It must be Ceratodon purpureus.  That grows in acid places .

thinking about this.  Any suggestios?

Xanthoparmelia conspersa - a big thallus but the only one I saw there.

As it is the waxcap season (end of October) I have been looking for waxcaps.  I found heath wax cap and slimy wax cap and possibly cedar waxcap and apricot clubs. mostly in this 3 m wide strip of heathy grass just below the boulders. 

Gliophorus laetus - Heath Waxcap .
This is one of the three common slimy waxcaps: Parrot waxcap (yellow and green) , Slimy waxcap (Grey brown) and Heath Waxcap - orangy fawny colours.

Scarlet Caterpillar Fungus -  Cordyceps militaris  - I did not dig it up, but if I had done I would have found the remains of a poor parasitised caterpillar under here.

Scar

I 

Christians Aware Summer School 2025 at Parcevall Hall - Geology of the location on the Craven Fault.

This is the geology background for the post which  I wrote about this Summer School

Barbara Butler invited me to  the Christians Aware Summer School at Parceval Hall, near Appletreewick in the Yorkshire Dales. In 2023 I had visited and run a session on lichen identification. 

"Come on the Sunday night" she said. "We are going to launch the book "Rooted in Hope - A Christians Aware Resource towards Building Biodiversity - for which you wrote the chapter on lichens. Then lead us on a trip on the Monday."

I wanted to take the group somewhere really local. Yes, they have visited Malham and Settle before - but there are so many lovely places near Parcevall Hall. Where could I take them? 

I dug deep into my book piles and dug out the two brilliant books fo the British Cave Research Organisation edited by Tony Waltham and David Lowe - so glad that Tony Waltham had sold me copies.

How does Parcevall Hall fit into the geology? - especially related to the geology of Settle and Malham Tarn that I (And all the local Settle people who read this blog post)  know so well.

What is the point of coming from Wakefield or Falmouth all the way to Parcevall Hall if you cannot find out about the geology? (We also had three people from Kenya - but they missed my first evening of condensed geology talk.)

The layers of rock around here consist of at the bottom 500MYR old slate, the Thick beds of 350MYR old limestone then on top of that a repeating cycle of rocks-limestone,sandstone,shale, imestone, sandstone, shale (up to 7 times in some places) 

So

Settle and Malham Tarn lie on the Craven Faults - South, Mid and North Craven Faults. These between them go all the way from the south end of Gragareth and Kingsdale in the west to Greenhow and Coldstones Cut above Stump Cross Caverns and Pateley Bridge  in the East - 50m or over 30miles.

Hence I can apply the geology of Settle and of Malham to the geology of Parcevall Hall 16 miles(25KM) directly to the East:

500 MYR (million years) ago the land under the south of England was near the south pole and the north of Scotland was near the north pole and in between was a big muddy sea. Over the course of time the South of England moved up over the equator and the mud was compressed and formed some huge fold mountains as big as the Himalayas. The mud was compressed and with the heat and pressure turned into slate - Like the slate we see in the Lake District). The Mountains got worn down and the area was under the sea again. this time it was a warm clear sea.  Algae and sea creatures grew in the warm water and their remains fell to the bottom and formed thick bands of limestone - now called the Great Scar Limestone that we see at Gordale Scar. 

Then over a long period of time the land to the south slipped down, the land to the north rose up - this left a big cliff. But over the course of time the top of the taller rock to the north go worn down - so the millstone grit and the Yoredale series got worn away by glaciers, rivers and weather.  So Limestone is at the surface to the north is Limestone, but the land at the surface to the south is Millstone grit.

This is the geology background for the post with  I wrote about this event

 

Settle Waxcaps near Mitchell Lane 22 October 2025

Wed 22 October 2025

Hygrocybe punicea

 22Oct 2025

Hygrocybe punicea

Apricot  Club Clavulinpis ludeoalba

Then I found two  large honey waxcaps  not photographed but I have a video: Hygrocybe reidii

I also found Meadow Waxcaps Cuphophyllus pratensis

Gliophorus irrigatus  Slimy waxcap

Hygrocybe coccinea Scarlet waxcap

Stropharia caeruleum (I think - possibly) 

Gliophorus  psittacinus 

View down to Settle. I am walking up parallel to the road on the right

Clavaria straminea

   Straw 

The Ballerina - with flash

The Ballerina - without  flash

  (Rugby Club belwo)

The Ballerina / Pink Waxcap

Settle Community Christmas Day Meal 2025

The Settle Community Christmas Day Meal will take place again this year 2025 at St John's Methodist Church, Settle BD24 9JH !!!

Please tell your neighbours an friends, and especially people who might be lonely, sad or bored this Christmas and who live in Settle or at a village nearby. We have a great time at this occasion.

1. Download and print a larger version of this poster to print and give to a friend.

2. Download a booking form or get a printed one from AgeUK or The Place or Settle Hub (see below).

Programme: - 

All parts are optional -  you can sit and chat in the "Garden Room" or rest or play board games there if you prefer.  Attend the whole day or just part.

If you need transport we can arrange it.

(We can also deliver take-aways, either lunch or tea for a limited number of people who are housebound)

11.45:Arrive, coffee, soft drinks nibbles,- The Garden Room 

12:00 Carols, - The Carol room (/worship room)

12.30 Dinner - The Hall

2.30 A few gentle party games, pass the parcel, party pieces: (Hall or Carol Room) (Bring your poem, song, reading, but must be less than 2 min long) 

4:00 Tea. (Coffee Lounge)

5:00 Depart

This is made possible - through the help of 

Local volunteers (who generally take part in the meal too too)

The people of St John's Methodist Church who enable us to use their facilities

Age UK, The Place (For being a base for holding forms) and Settle Hub

The guests who come and take part, 

The price has been kept to £10 (£5-00 for children) because of support from local traders and others. Last year these included  Drake and Macefield Butchers, The Naked Man Café, Booths, Trevors, and the Coop - sorry if I have missed someone. 

If people can't manage £10, then please see me Judith Allinson who attends the church and does the much of the organising - there is a bursary fund for this.

If you would like to come - please book by filling in the form obtainable from Age UK, Settle Hub or The Place or downloadable here.  Please leave money and completed forms at either at Settle Hub office or The Place both with the address Commercial Courtyard,  BD24 9RH, or the Age UK shop in the Market Square. If you would rather pay by BACS and  send emailed versions of this form contact Jo Rhodes on hub@settlecommunityandbusinesshub.org.uk and she will send BACS information

The form has a section for dietary needs.  We plan to make vegetarian and vegan options available.  It may not be possible to cater for all allergies so please check first. 

Meanwhile here are links to reports of three of the events that were held over the ten years before Covid. 

Settle Community Christmas Day meal 2014 - Pictures and videos

Many enjoy Settle Christmas Day Meal 2015 - Pictures

Settle Community Christmas Day Meal 2017

Volunteers in 2018:

Pictures from 2019 - the last time we held such a meal when we had 70 people.

(Our meal in 2025 will be a more select gathering, with 40 to 50 people.

Tea

Volunteers

Volunteers are participants in the day and pay/donate the same as guests.

Volunteers are needed to help in many ways

- with publicity before the day

- with planning, and collecting donations

- with food and present and table preparations on the morning of Christmas Eve (Wed) (peeling potatoes etc) 10-12

- with chatting to new people as they come and have coffee before the meal.

-with taking part in the activities.

-with transport

-with serving food

with collecting dishes and tidying up.

We will have a volunteers' meeting on Thursday 18 November at 6pm in the church coffee lounge. 

If you are interested in helping, please contact Judith