Christian Rural & Environmental Studies This two year Certificate course provides an opportunity to study rural and environmental issues from a Christian viewpoint. It will be of interest to all with a personal or professional concern for the environment and countryside, rural communities and churches. There are no entry requirements.
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CRES, in association with JRI and CRuC, had this year’s summer field trip visiting Anthony and Sandra Herbert at Whetstone Fruit Farm in Leicestershire. Fourteen of us came from all over the country. After coffee on arrival we went on a tour of the farm on a trailer pulled by a tractor. We saw the agri-environmental schemes, the ponds, woods, a brook, and disused railway line. We viewed the ultra-modern cattle shed and then the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) scheme called Community Harvest Whetstone. After lunch we heard about the charity Send a Cow and then tried the pick your own before tea and heading home. Thanks very much to Anthony and Sandra for a great day!
If you would like to know more visit the farm web site at: http://www.whetstonepasturesfarm.com/
Pictures starting top left and going clockwise: the restored pond; the state of the art cattle shed; Anthony Herbert on the trailer explaining maize and wheat cultivation to our party; and a keyhole vegetable plot.
As part of our continuing programme of updating the CRES Certificate course we are pleased to announce that we now have a new module available in Rural and Environmental Theology. This was written by John Whitehead and Lizzie Rushton, and we are grateful to them both. The module will be available immediately to the current first year students as an option, and will become part of our new theological core for students entering the course from September 2010.
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 How does CRES run? Every six months we hold a Steering Group meeting somewhere in the UK (currently Warmington, nr. Banbury or Haddenham, Bucks). This time five of us met at John Neal’s farm at Warmington (we had two apologies) on April 19th 2010. The meeting takes a good four hours to cover what is always a fairly packed agenda. On the agenda we have fairly standard items like student progress, student admissions, publicity, a review of previous course meetings, planning the next meetings and so on. We look at what our parent bodies CRuC and JRI are doing, and check our finances (OK, we were pleased to hear!). This time we were also progressing the new modules that we hope to have out for the autumn. It was a particularly pleasant day at John’s farm, and we were able to have lunch outside. The meetings are chaired very effectively by John Neal, and we et through a lot of work, but there is a lot of fun as well. The picture shows four of the group l. to. r. : Dr. John Lockwood; Mrs Lizzie Rushton; Revd Dr. John Reader; and Mr. John Neal. Dr. Martin Hodson was taking the photo!
Summer Field Trip to Whetstone Fruit Farm, Leicestershire.
Saturday 10th July 2010 (11.00am to 4.00pm)
 For some years now CRES, in association with JRI and CRuC have run summer field trips around England. These visits have varied from farms to woodlands, from urban to very rural, and we aim to vary our content every year. The visits are run by the CRES distance learning course, but anyone associated with CRES, JRI or CRuC, plus their friends and family will be very welcome. This year we are visiting Anthony & Sandra Herbert at Whetstone Fruit Farm in Leicestershire. Anthony & Sandra are looking forward to our CRES visit, and say. “We run a pick your own fruit enterprise (with tearoom & playbarn) in addition to 600 acres of arable crops. We are in two agri-environmental schemes and have ponds, woods, a brook, and disused railway line. We host a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) scheme called Community Harvest Whetstone – the first vegetable crops should be visible at your visit. We are active further afield - both of us involved with the charity Send a Cow (which includes goats, poultry, bees and sustainable natural agriculture!). Sandra is chair of Leicestershire Food Links – Leading the Field in Local Food, besides being part of the Christian Muslim Forum. We will give you a warm welcome, a stimulating day, some fresh air – and the chance to pick very tasty strawberries!”
The cost per person is £10 for the day, including a £2.50 donation to Send a Cow. Spaces on this wonderful field trip are limited to the first 25 people who book in, so book now or risk being disappointed! Download the information and booking form
20th February 2010- CRES day conference at Ripon College Cuddesdon
 Every few months the CRES course meets at Ripon College Cuddesdon. Although we are a distance learning course we do like to get together. It means students and tutors can meet each other and we can update on things that have been happening. We always try to get at least one visiting speaker, with talks ranging across the range of rural and environmental issues and theology. So here is a typical day:
10.00-10.30 Arrive and Coffee. Many of our students and tutors have come a long way, and coffee is needed at the end of the journey!
10.30-10.45 Welcome. Martin Hodson, the Principal Tutor, outlines the content of the day.
10.45-11.45 Talk: Dr. Bob Sluka spoke on ‘Marine environmental issues and their impacts on rural fishing communities in the UK and British overseas territories.’ Bob, our visiting speaker showed us some wonderful pictures of marine habitats, outlined the problems facing marine biodiversity, and then looked at some solutions.
11.45-12.45 Groups. This is the time when we split up to discuss progress on modules and the course in general. We have three groups normally: (1) First Year students and their tutors; (2) Second Year students and their tutors; (3) Everyone else (this includes members of the CRES steering group, and former students, many of whom keep coming back!)- Discussion with our visiting speaker
Just before lunch we had a group photo shoot (right)
1.00-2.00 Lunch- really rather wonderful- good time to have a chat.
2.00-2.30 Dr. John Lockwood introduced the new module he has been working on: “Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Stabilization and Climate” We are hoping that will be available to students in the autumn.
2.30-3.00 Interview with the new external examiner, Revd Dr. Shaun Henson. This was the first time we had met Shaun, and we heard about his multi-faceted life in ministry and theological education.
3.00-3.30 CRES news. Martin Hodson then brought everyone up to date of what has been happening, and what is coming up soon for CRES
3.30-3.45 Short service- Revd Philip Wagstaff, then led us in a short reflection and affirmation “We choose”.
3.45 Tea and wonderful cakes courtesy of Juliana the domestic bursar at Cuddesdon. And then we all went on our way until the next time!
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Although the CRES course starts and finishes in September each year the Spring and early Summer are the times when many people are looking for courses. CRES is now getting quite a few enquiries every week, and we recommend that students make their applications by about June as this allows us to find a local tutor and give instructions on the course before it really gets going! If you are interested probably the best place to look first is our CRES Certificate page. Then you might have some questions. If so go to the Contact CRES page. Then finally if you would like to apply download an Application Form and send it back to us with your payment.
For some time now the CRES web site has been looking a little tired. Fortunately for us John McKeown, the JRI webmaster has designed us a nice new site. We are still getting used to the site and it is not yet perfect, but it is a lot better. Thanks very much John!
We are pleased to announce that the new external examiner for CRES will be Rev Dr Shaun Henson, Chaplain of St Hugh’s College, Oxford. We look forward to working with Shaun over the next three years.
CRES recruited eight new students over the summer of 2009, including one to the final year, one to the Diploma, and our first student from the Netherlands. This is almost a record. We hope the new students soon get going and feel at home on the course.
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On Saturday 12th September 2009, another four students on Christian Rural and Environmental Studies (CRES) graduated at Ripon College Cuddesdon, nr. Oxford. Simon Brown, Hazel Byford and Alison Hudson all gained Certificates, and Jean Lorimer had a Diploma. Congratulations to all four! This brings the total CRES graduates to 17 since the course started.
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