A historic Peak District church, which has been left without heating for 18 months after Storm Babet damaged its gas boilers, has been “torn apart” by an “activist” energy adviser.
St John the Baptist in Tideswell has been cold since October 2023, with no resolution in sight.
Church wardens Peter Robinson, 79, and Mike Burrell, 75, blame the Diocese of Derby’s strict interpretation of Church law for the ongoing issue.
They claim the diocese’s approach has been influenced by an “activist” energy adviser who openly supports Just Stop Oil.
A historic Peak District church, which has been left without heating for 18 months after Storm Babet damaged its gas boilers, has been ‘torn apart’ by an ‘activist’ energy adviser (not pictured)
PA/ Google maps
It comes after The Telegraph revealed that the Church of England’s pledge to achieve net zero by 2030 has created heating problems for dozens of parishes.
In July 2022, the General Synod introduced new rules making it harder for churches to install new gas and oil boilers.
While not intended as a complete ban, some dioceses are interpreting it that way.
The Diocese of Derby has not supported a single request for a new fossil fuel boiler since the rule change.
This strict interpretation has left the historic Tideswell church without heating through multiple winters.
John Beardmore, the diocese’s volunteer energy adviser, is understood to be a supporter of both Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion.
In 2019, he signed a “Scientists for Extinction Rebellion” declaration, pledging support for “non-violent direct action”.
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On LinkedIn, Beardmore defended Just Stop Oil activists who were jailed, writing that it “may be perfectly ethical to commit a crime if a law is sufficiently inappropriate”.
Church warden Mike Burrell described Beardmore as “an activist on all sorts of fronts” and questioned whether it was “ethical” for him to have such an integral role.
Beardmore insists he was not an active member of either group.
“I’ve never been to a protest, but I can understand the motives of those that do,” Beardmore said.
He added: “I’m perfectly willing to say I’ve written character references for people who have been on trial for things which have been done by Just Stop Oil.”
Local were left fuming over a proposal by Beardmore in which he suggested digging a trench through the churchyard to lay cables for air-source heat pumps.
Burrell condemned this as “completely against any Christian philosophy you can think of”.
“There will be bones everywhere,” he warned, referring to unofficial burials in the churchyard.
Parishioner Lynne Burns, 53, called the plan “absolutely barbaric” and “not humane”.
Beardmore countered that his plan followed existing power supply routes.
The wardens also objected to the visual impact of heat pumps on the 14th century church.
“What you see now is what you saw in 1380—there’s no way I could stick an air-source heat pump just outside the church,” said Burrell.
He added it would require “a row of them all going all the way down” and still wouldn’t provide enough heat.
St John the Baptist in Tideswell has been cold since October 2023, with no resolution in sight
Google maps
Cost was another major concern, with a new gas boiler costing £10,000, mostly covered by insurance.
While heat pumps would cost around £100,000. Even the diocese’s own heating adviser concluded gas was their “only option”.
The wardens complained when they learned Beardmore had attended the Diocesan Advisory Committee, which decides on boiler applications.
Burrell suggested the committee chairman “must be leaning on Mr Beardmore” as he “didn’t understand” church heating issues.
Beardmore told said he saw nothing improper in attending DAC meetings, saying the committee makes decisions by collective vote.
A spokesman for the Derby diocesan board of finance said they were “hugely sympathetic” to the church’s situation.
They added they had been “working closely with them on their faculty application for a working heating system”.