Latest News
Here is the latest news of projects and events across
the range of Centre activities and services.
December 2025 Newsletter
Here is our latest newsletter, published December 2025, bringing you updates about our work. In this newsletter, there is news of our Come Together Outreach project; an update about the success of our IT Training in Salford (including new Lottery Funding); a celebration of the work of the Young Christian Workers and the community garden at their Trafford Park HQ; an article about our Director's talk at a European (EZA) conference in Belgrade focusing on workers' rights and the challenges for the future; and an update about our work and the personal story of our colleage, Marek, regarding Modern Slavery.
Church History
In 2026, we will be celebrating the history of St. Antony's Church and its unique mission in Trafford Park. We are looking for stories, photographs or other information that would help us to celebrate the continuing mission of St. Antony's, both to residents of Trafford Park and the industrial estate. This also includes the School of St. Antony's. We are keen to capture the history at all of its stages, but, in particular, from the 1960s through to the current day. Further details about events will follow.
Community Learning : Lottery Community Funding
We are delighted to announce that our recent application for National Lottery Community Funding of £20,000 has been successful. We will be using this funding during the next 12-18 months to continue to provide high-quality IT training in the community, working with our partners in Salford.
Community Learning - Information Technology
Our community-based Information Technology course in Salford has proven to be a successful and valued programme of learning. Since the programme launched in February 2024, we have supported 23 local residents, many of whom are improving their skillsets for employment or further education, in working towards and achieving IT qualifications at Entry Level 3, Level 1, Level 2 and even (and not for faint-hearted!) Level 3. To date, we have issued more than 70 certificates, awarded by City and Guilds, for achievement of accredited IT units (Microsoft Office applications) and 17 full qualifications to candidates. There is much research to suggest that community-based training in a local, familiar, inclusive and friendly setting is crucial for some learners and this project is certainly evidence of that.
We are delighted with the progress and achievements of our IT learners, some of whom started with only basic (mobile phone) digital skills and very few, if any, formal IT skills, particularly in the use of Microsoft Office applications which are used the workplace and a requirement of many jobs. This project aims to help to address the digital and IT skills gap that exists locally and nationally. Many of our learners have not only mastered a range of technical concepts and have read pages and pages of instructions, but have done so in a language that is not their first or even their second language. We are proud to celebrate the whole group’s achievements, resilience (often studying alongside personal challenges in their lives, including homelessness), smiles and humour (and sometimes food!) they bring to the sessions
Blue Plaque in honour of Beryl May Dent
St. Antony's Centre and Trafford Park Heritage Centre are delighted to have been chosen as the site of a blue plaque, issued by Trafford MBC, in honour of Beryl May Dent (1900 - 1977), who was a pioneering mathematician, engineer and programmer of early digital computers. She worked at Metropolitan-Vickers in Trafford Park.
At an event on Saturday 9th August 2025 (exactly 48 years to the day of her death in 1977), Mayor of Trafford, Cllr Jane Brophy, and Trafford Park Heritage Centre Director, Kevin Flanagan, paid tribute to Beryl May Dent and unveiled the blue plaque at the entrance to the Heritage Centre. News of the unveiling of the blue plaque, press releases and more about the life and work of Beryl May Dent can be found on our heritage page dedicated to her story.
Volunteers and Trustees Needed - Can you help?
We are actively looking for volunteers to help with the work of the Centre or people who can offer advice and help to share the workload with our clients. If you have a background in:
➢ Teaching or supporting learners
➢ Welcome visitors to the Centre
➢ Local History and Heritage
➢ Admin, clerical or other skills
then give us call on 0161 848 9173 or complete our online contact form on our website.
Click here to complete our online contact form.
Heritage Talks, Walks and Reunions
The spring and summer Heritage programme will be announced shortly which will include talks and reunions based on the Heritage of the Trafford Park area, its former residents and employees/employers. We will be marking the VE Day celebrations in May with some items and artefacts in the Exhibition at St Antony’s. We also hope to support the Exhibition at the Trafford Local Studies Centre in Sale.
Centre achieves MATRIX accreditation for the fourth time!
We are delighted to announce that following a recent (April 2025) independent external assessment, the Centre has been awarded the Matrix Standard for the quality of its Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Services. This standard is awarded to organisations with IAG at the heart of their work and recognises the high-quality of service to clients and participants across a range of activities. This is the fourth time we have achieved the award and we will be assessed again in 2027 with ongoing reviews between now and then. Congratulations to all the Centre staff for their work; it is good to see the Centre recognised again for the quality of service we provide to our IAG and training clients and participants.
"St Antony’s values are strong and consistent, and all staff are engaged in a common ethic which puts learners and residents at the centre of service design and delivery. Those using the IAG services see this manifested in the impartiality and individual nature of advice and guidance, and because of this are more likely to seek support and open up about their needs. The values demonstrated by staff engender high levels of trust from recipients."
October 2023 : Come Together project launches with partners