GMIM Annual Report 2009

G M I M

Greater Manchester Industrial Mission

Annual Report

2008/9

Greater Manchester Industrial Mission 2 Annual Report 2008

Contents

Subject Page

Contents 2 GMIM Trust by the Chair of GMIM 3

GMIM Council Members 4 St Antony’s Centre for Church & Industry 5

Retail Chaplaincy ~ Ashton and ASDA 6

Greater Manchester Police 7 Life at the Airport 8/9 Bolton Town Centre Chaplaincy 10/11

Oldham Town Centre Chaplaincy 12 Middlebrook Retail Chaplaincy 13 Farewell to Fr Joe Carter 14

GMIM Team Changes and News 15 Financial Statement 15

GMIM Chaplaincy Team Contact Numbers 16

Front Cover Pictures: Top ~ Induction of Rev Wendy White at The Reebok Stadium

Middle ~ Fr Joseph Carter

Bottom ~ Learning Routes Bus at The Credit Crunch Roadshow in Bolton

Annual Report 2008 3 Greater Manchester Industrial Mission

D Tomlinson

GMIM Trust By David Tomlinson, Chair

Introduction

Over the last 12 months we have seen the fall out of the world economic

crisis; jobless totals rising inexorably, the increase in petty crime and in

particular the loss of faith in politicians.

This report contains some wonderful messages of hope and the

constancy of the Christian message. The faithfulness of Fr Joe Carter,

refreshing news of Chaplains‟ involvement in the world of work and the

growth of relationships across the whole of the faith community in

Greater Manchester.

It is a tremendous privilege to be involved in an organisation that is

delivering in a very practical way Christ‟s message of love, care and concern to those who are

not in touch with “Churchy stuff” and may never have heard anything about it.

Chaplaincy is a growth industry and as the recession retreats we need to be around to pick up

the gauntlet and allow people to renew their confidence through training support and other life

skills.

GMIM are perfectly placed to do this, and we do rely on and require Church leaders and other

faith groups to help and support this activity. Too often, churches, industry, commerce, the

public sector, police etc work in their own widely separate compartments.

This report signposts a way forward. Let us hope and pray we can build on the opportunity.

Thank you to all the chaplains and volunteers, all who have supported us this year and for

Kevin and his team who have put this report together.

If having read this report you would like to support the work of GMIM or assist the

development of the Trust and Chaplaincies, do not hesitate to give us a call.

Enjoy the read and thank you for your continued support.

Chair,

GMIM Council


GMIM Council Members

The following members have served on the Greater Manchester Industrial Mission Council

during the year 2008/2009. The Council members are Trustees of the GMIM Trust.

GMIM Council Members:

The Right Rev Terence Brain Bishop of Salford Rev Dr Keith Davies Chair, Manchester & Stockport Methodist District

Representatives from the Presidents of Greater Manchester Churches Together

Mr David Tomlinson Chair, GMIM Council Rev Graham Kent GMCT Ecumenical Development Officer Mr James Callaghan Centre for Church & Industry ~ Treasurer Mr Kevin Flanagan GMIM Team ~ Centre for Church and Industry Rev Brian Tomkins GMIM ~ Bolton Town Centre Chaplaincy

Rev Kevin Ball GMIM ~ Manchester Airport Team Rev Chris Baker William Temple Foundation Rev John Piper Oldham Town Centre Chaplaincy

Mr David Parkinson Middlebrook Chaplaincy Rev Philip Brooks Social Cohesion, Bolton The Council meets quarterly to oversee the management of GMIM

GMIM Treasurer: Mr James Callaghan

If you would like to contribute to the work of GMIM and can offer any help or support at a practical level,

GMIM would be pleased to hear from you.

All enquiries should be directed to

GMIM c/o: St Antony’s Centre,

Eleventh Street,

Trafford Park, Manchester

M17 1JF.

Registered Charity No: 1091274


St Antony’s Centre for Church & Industry By Kevin Flanagan, Director

During the past year the Centre has continued

to develop its training programmes to meet

the needs of those facing redundancy or

unemployment as a direct consequence of the

economic crisis. The Centre is working in

partnership with the GMB Reach Out Project,

TUC Unionlearn and with local employers

and employees. Together we have

established a range of Learning Centres in

employers‟ premises as well as initiatives to

respond to urgent redundancy situations

resulting in several hundred employees

receiving special training and support in the

run up to redundancy. The Wincanton Depot

in Trafford Park sadly faced this situation

earlier this year. The Centre Team responded

by providing support and advice as well as a

range of courses to assist the employees to

gain new skills and employment

opportunities.

A significant development has been the

decision to formally close St Antony‟s Parish

as a mass-going Centre on a Sunday due to

the retirement of Fr Joe Carter who has been

a significant player in Industrial Chaplaincy

in Greater Manchester for the past 30 years.

A separate article appears in this Report on

the work of Fr Joe. The Centre Team along

with members of the Greater Manchester

Industrial Mission Team have paid tribute to

his work and the contribution that St

Antony‟s Parish made to Industrial

Chaplaincy throughout its recent history.

The Centre is in discussions around the future

of Chaplaincy on the industrial estate as well

as the development of the Parish of St

Antony‟s as a Centre for Reflection, Worship

and Chaplaincy in Trafford Park. The

Church has been placed under the auspices of

the Centre and its World of Work Apostolate.

The Centre has continued to provide the

administrative and team base for work with

the GMIM Team and Council as well as the

development of Chaplaincies at Oldham

Town Centre, which have progressed well,

and the bringing together of the Bolton Social

Cohesion Project as part of GMIM.

Early in 2009 the Centre decided to open a

new facility in Lancashire responding to the

needs of Migrant Workers, especially the

East European and Polish Community. The

new Accrington Community and Training

Centre (ACT Centre) based in Accrington

was opened in August 2009.

During the year we continued to supervise the

placement of Mike Aspinall as part of his

Training for Ministry. Mike assisted in the

production of a new resource pack for

Churches in response to Workers Memorial

Day. The information was used in Penzance

with fishermen and in a major shopping

facility in the north east. Mike will be

ordained in September 2009 and we wish him

well in his Ministry.


Retail Chaplaincy in Ashton By Rev Bob Davies

Many readers will be aware of the fire in

May 2004 which destroyed in the interior of

Ashton Market Hall. I have reported

previously on the difficulties of traders, and

the value placed on a chaplain‟s listening

ear, after the move into the temporary

Phoenix Market Hall.

The old Market Hall rebuilding and

refurbishment was completed in Autumn

2008 and opened for trade on 28 November,

just in time for Christmas trade. It was

marked by busy work for all, with many

traders employing extra staff to cope with

the increase in customers.

In the weeks up to Christmas I was able to

arrange for choirs from local church schools

(one 90% Muslim) to entertain shoppers

with Christmas music in the Market Hall.

This continues the tradition of the past few

years but in a new location.

One of the intriguing aspects of the increase

in business now the hall is open

is that workers have less time

for chatting with the chaplain.

That is causing a rethink in

approach and also scope of

work. Fortunately the market

office staff usually can find

time for a few words, with

shared stories of family and

personal illness as well as relief

at being „back home‟.

Contacts in ASDA are

maintained. The Ashton store

is a „Store of Learning‟ where

new department managers from

across the North West go for a

month‟s induction training. I

am encouraged to drop in on

the first day of each course to

talk about Chaplaincy. I use it as an

opportunity to reinforce ASDA national

policy of having store chaplains and to

encourage trainees to enquire about a

chaplain in their home store.

Colleagues at ASDA do find the odd

moment to chat. I have supported in

bereavement and marriage breakdown as

well as sharing the joys, for instance, of

grandchildren.

2009 has brought new possibilities for

chaplaincy in the town. The Anglican

Parish of the Good Shepherd (5 churches

covering much of the town) has appointed

Rev. Roger Reece as a part-time missioner

with the title „Town Centre Chaplain‟.

Roger and I meet regularly to talk about our

work and share ideas for the future.

Your continuing prayers are valued and

bear fruit.

'

Security Guard keeps Chaplain chatting

before police pounce'


Greater Manchester Police Chaplaincy By Rev Charles Nevin

The work of Chaplaincy continues across all

Divisions of Greater Manchester Police.

The new (or nearly new) Chief Constable

Mr. Peter Fahy continues to inspire the staff

with his particular focus on Community

Policing. Mr. Fahy is also a committed

Christian and a member of his local Roman

Catholic Church. His faith is very real to

him and he has spoken at a number of

Christian led events including a major

Building Communities event in the

Wythenshawe Forum. Also on the 7th April

he attended a Police service at Salford

Cathedral presided over by the Bishop of

Salford.

As many of you will be aware one of our

longest serving Chaplains, Canon Joe Carter,

was forced to resign through ill-health. Joe

has been a Chaplain at Divisional and

Headquarters levels and his gentle and

supportive presence was welcomed by all

members of the Police service from

Constable to Chief Constable, and from

Clerk to Director. On Maundy Thursday the

9th of April a number of us met at St.

Antony‟s Presbytery

where the Chief

Constable joined us to

present Joe with a

commemorative scroll.

It was a very special

event and I know Joe

appreciated the Chief

taking time out of his

day to visit Joe.

We continue to recruit

new Chaplains but are

still looking to fill some

gaps. A recent recruit

at Force level has been

Bishop Doyé Agama,

the leader of the Black Apostolic Church.

We hope to make some more appointments

later in the year.

The work of the Police continues with

particular emphasis on Community Policing

and the Police Community Support Officers

and perform a very effective role in this

area. The Credit Crunch has impacted on

robberies and burglaries of all types and the

growth of Cannabis Farms in particular has

added to the issues faced by today‟s Police

Service.

The GMP Police Chaplaincy continues to be

part of the National Association of

Chaplains to the Police and a national

training course will be held in Manchester

during October. The Vice President of

NACP is Matt Baggott who was recently

appointed to be Chief Constable of the

Northern Ireland Police. The President

Baroness Harris of Richmond joined us for a

meeting of GMP Chaplains earlier in the

year and at that same meeting we were also

joined by the Chief Constable.


The Chaplaincy Story of 2008 By Rev Kevin Ball

The Chaplaincy, a registered

charity and company limited

by guarantee, is going from

strength to strength with its

continued diversity and

development.

This year it has completed a

Continuing Ministerial Education session for

the British Isles and Eire Airport Chaplains at

the Morley Retreat Centre.

In order to serve the needs of all the

passengers and staff at the Airport negotiations

are taking place in order that our multi faith

response can be extended with further

volunteer chaplains of other faiths due to the

extra flights to places such as Tel Aviv and

Abu Dhabi. It is also anticipated that we will

increase the number of other Christian

volunteer chaplains also.

The Chaplaincy Team have provided

assistance to those affected by the

restructuring exercise of some of the Airport

Companies and have been welcoming the new

retailers that have recently opened for business

in the terminals following the completion of

the retail refurbishment.

A number of Faith Leaders have been

welcomed to the Airport including the Chief

Rabbi the head of the Egyptian Coptic Church

and the President of the Methodist Conference

as well as other Bishops and church leaders.

A holistic approach has now been agreed

with the Occupational Health Doctor and

practitioners in a joint Health, Human

Resource and Chaplaincy provision for

staff employed by Manchester Airport and

associated companies. This will commence

in the near future.

As Chaplaincy to Group Headquarters we

are now considering the Chaplaincy

Provision across the Group and are

providing input to Group

literature and the Intranet

and it is anticipated that

there will be a training and

familiarisation conference

for the Group Chaplains in

the North West this year.

A new Chaplaincy Centre will have been

handed over to The Chaplaincy Team by the

builders by the time this report is published

which will mean a purpose built area for

Prayer, Work and Counselling.

The programme on BBC4 Airport Secret Lives

was broadcast and brought quite a reaction

from people within and outside of the airport.

Radio 4‟s Morning Service was broadcast

from Terminal 2 Prayer Room on Easter

Monday and numerous interviews with the

media have taken place.

We have provided advice to retail, business

and public bodies in relation to prayer rooms

and chaplaincy services and continue to

provide training for people training for

Christian Ministry and also the Senior

Chaplain is involved in training Muslim

Chaplains at the Islamic Centre as part of their

University Course.

A new venture is the provision of blessings of

marriages and renewal of marriage vows on

board Concorde at the Concorde Centre.

Registered Company No: 3664008 Charity No: 1074781


Concorde has been licensed for civil marriages

and ceremonies for some time with the

Manchester Registrar. A French couple

travelled from Paris to renew their vows on

board.

The service took place in the back cabin with

flowers and bows and service book with quiet

music playing as they left the aircraft and a

celebration drink of champagne or orange

juice before a tour of the aircraft.

The Chaplaincy continues to

work in partnership with The

Foreign and Commonwealth

Office, The Forced Marriage

Unit, UK Borders Agency,

Ministry of Defence and other

Non Government Organisations who provide

pastoral care and assistance for British

Citizens. This is a 24/7 responsibility and it is

not unknown for all of the team to have been

out on call over a weekend and through the

night.

The team continue to meet bereaved families

returning from holidays without loved ones or

who need to be told, on their return, that a

loved one has died.

A protocol has now been devised with the

Chaplains working in partnership with North

West Ambulance Service, Greater Manchester

Police, Airport Staff and Airline staff to deal

with incidents of passengers dying on board a

flight inbound to Manchester.

Christian Pilgrimage Tours

are greeted whenever the

team are aware of the travel

arrangements and work with

the airlines to ensure a

smo o t h a nd p le a sa n t

experience for the pilgrim.

The team will soon be

looking at the provision for

Hajj flights as we have just

completed Ramadan and last

season. The Team were

involved in meetings with ACPO and the

Home Office which resulted in there being no

particular problems at Manchester last year.

Daily Prayer at the airport sustains the

Chaplains, staff and passengers who join

together in the prayer room to pray and it is

not unusual to have Christian, Jewish and

Islamic prayer taking place at the same time in

the prayer room and on leaving all sharing a

sign of peace.

In addition to

our normal

keeping of

remembrance

tide this year

the team,

working in

par tnership

with The Concorde Centre; intend to produce a

mini tattoo and festival of remembrance under

the wings of Concorde on 10th November.

During December in conjunction with retail it

intends to produce “A Celebration of

Christmas Home and Away” with the theme of

Christmas from areas of the world covered by

airlines from Manchester involving music and

drama from participants of schools and

colleges around the area.

The Manchester Enterprise Academy, of

which Manchester Airport is the lead industry,

is being supported by staff from the Airport

including the Chaplains in joining with other

chaplains and ministers to provide mentoring

and pastoral and spiritual support to staff and

students.

Emergency Planning, Diversity Training,

Dignity at Work, Hate Crime Reporting,

Independent Advisory Groups, North West

Regional Government, Black Clergy

Association, IACAC, involvement with local

churches, faith groups and local communities

all go on but with so little time to tell it all.

This is just a snapshot of what has been

happening throughout the year as The

Chaplaincy Board, Group Chaplains and all

colleagues in Chaplaincy have supported us.

It has been such a thriving time for The

Chaplaincy Team and they have enjoyed every

minute particularly with the feedback being so

positive and encouraging.


Bolton Town Centre Chaplaincy

By Rev Alan Scantlebury

Changing Times: As we write this report,

the credit crunch is

having an impact on our

„parish‟, the retail sector. In June a new link

with Woolworth‟s staff began, with monthly

visits by a new volunteer serving tea in the

staff rest room over a lunch period.

Unfortunately, the management changed in

September, and since then the company has

been in deep crisis. We pray for the staff who

are undergoing a worrying time of uncertainty.

This Christmas we tried to build on our

Advent experience in Costa Coffee at

Waterstones from last year. However, it was

difficult for shop staff to attend as they are so

busy at Christmas and often don‟t get a lunch

break at all.

Throughout the year our team of volunteers

has had regular fortnightly contact with

approximately 80 retail outlets in the Town

Centre. Conversations range from day to day

pleasantries to family matters, from

celebration of achievements to dealing with

bereavement. One Travel Agency worker

remarked “It really makes our day when you

drop in!”

Changing Places: Following the closure of the Town Centre

Management Company, in May the Chaplain

moved from the Old Turkish Baths in Great

Moor Street to The Hub on Bold Street, where

we “hot desk” with the team from the

Christian Community Cohesion Project.

Changing Faces: Jean Hurlston moved on in September, and

Alan Scantlebury was appointed as the new

Chaplain in October. Alan previously served

as a local church leader in Bolton and in May

he joined the Christian Cohesion project. We

thank Jean for all the work she has put into the

chaplaincy this year, and wish her every

success as she takes up a full-time role as a

college chaplain.

Chaplaincy Associates: There are three

v o l u n t e e r

a s s o c i a t e

chaplains: Pat

Rea, URC lay

worker, Dilys

T o m k i n s , a

Methodist lay

worker and Revd

Peter Waterson, an Anglican non-stipendiary

priest. We are extremely grateful for their

tremendous loyalty and hard work. We are

always looking for more volunteers who have

good pastoral skills, who are in good standing

with their own faith community and who have

an interest in workplace chaplaincy. Many

people take up chaplaincy roles in order to test

out and develop a calling to offer a ministry to

the community. We have also appreciated the

involvement of Mike Aspinall, a URC student

minister on placement with us this year.

Chaplaincy Reflective: In April, chaplains from different parts of

Bolton (e.g. university, BWFC, hospitals and

hospice) met again together to share good

practice, resources and expertise. The focus

was on Community Cohesion. In preparation,

each chaplaincy conducted its own audit and

the data was analysed. The results showed

what a major role chaplaincy plays in bringing

communities together, an issue high on the

agenda for local and national government

Nite Café:

Bolton has a vibrant night life when it comes

to bars and clubs. After much discussion and

consultation, a Night Time Café project was

finally trialled over the summer of 2008. The

three month pilot scheme began in July at

Bolton

Town Centre Chaplaincy


Bank Street Unitarian Chapel, situated right in

the heart of clubland! Open from 9.30 pm to

2.30 am each Saturday, volunteers in the Café

served non alcoholic drinks, toast and

teacakes, whilst offering a helping hand, a

listening ear and a loving heart to revellers in

distress. Between 30 and 40 people were

referred to the Café by Police or Town

Ambassadors over the three months. Plans are

afoot to re-launch the project next year in a

more sustainable and effective way.

Meanwhile, in response to requests from the

Police, the café re-opened for two weekends

before Christmas.

Key Milestones of 2008: February Involved in leading sessions on the

Lent Course run by Christians

Together in Bolton Town Centre

March Good Friday procession and Easter

celebration in Victoria square

April Chaplaincy Reflective at Bolton

University

May Civic Service at Bolton Parish

Church

Chaplaincy office relocation to the

Hub

June Fund raising event for Burma and

China in Victoria Square

July Pilot for the Nite Café begins

(through to October)

October Nite Café evaluation

November Recruitment drive for Nite Café

volunteers

December Costa Coffee Advent reflections

Nite Café re-opens for Christmas

by special request

Chaplaincy Partners and Funding: The initiative for the Chaplaincy began with

Christians Together in Bolton Town Centre

(CTBTC), and is supported by Bolton Council.

Throughout the past five years, the Chaplaincy

has grown and developed supported by the

Churches & local Charitable Trusts.

To date this initiative has cost over £42,000

with, in addition, considerable help of „gifts in

kind‟. We would like to take this opportunity

to thank all who have contributed to the

support and development of the Chaplaincy.

The Chaplaincy is managed through Greater

Manchester Industrial Mission (GMIM), a

registered charity which draws together other

workplace chaplaincies such as the well

respected Manchester Airport Chaplaincy.

Management Group: Overseeing the operation of the Chaplaincy is

a group comprising representatives from both

the business and faith sectors, as listed below:-

David Tomlinson

Chair, Greater Manchester Industrial Mission

Kevin Flanagan

Director, Centre for Church & Industry,

Trafford Park

Rev Phil Mason

Superintendent Minister,

Victoria Hall Methodist Mission

Rev Dr Brian Tomkins

Minister,

Victoria Hall Methodist Mission

Phil Glanvill

Chaplaincy Treasurer

Tony Edisbury

URC of St Andrew & St George

Rev Philip Brooks

Project Manager,

Bolton Christian Community Cohesion


Oldham Town Centre Chaplaincy

By Rev John Piper

PICTURED (from the left) are:

Janet Appleyard, Jutta Kuhn, Edvin Nyathi and the Rev

Rick Preston from the Oldham Baptist Church

This year has seen the Oldham Town Centre

Chaplaincy formally adopted by the GMIM

Council as one of GMIM‟s supported

projects. The Oldham project has been in

close liaison with GMIM since it was born in

2006, but this formal adoption by the Council

was an important milestone in the project‟s

life. It recognised the ongoing development

of the work in Oldham and, in particular, the

establishment of a local management group

including representatives from Oldham Town

Centre Churches Together, the Oldham Inter-

faith Forum, and the local authority.

The aims of the project remain as they were:

to be a caring supportive presence for all

those working in Oldham town centre –

people of all faiths and none; to provide a

„listening ear‟; to do what it can, as part of the

Oldham town centre community, to enhance

the working environment in the town; and to

promote understanding between people of

different faiths and none.

There is great need for this work in

Oldham and a great desire from all

the faith communities to make it

happen. It is regrettable that we

are currently seriously constrained

by the limited time available to the

five current members of the

chaplaincy team, who are doing

this work on a very part time basis

alongside their many other

responsibilities. Thus, the main

priority at the moment is to put

together a „business case‟ that

might enable us to attract funding

for a paid co-ordinator post. This

would enable us to recruit, train

and support other people to operate

as volunteer chaplains in the town

centre.

In the mean time, we use our limited

resources as effectively as we can to meet,

support and develop relationships with those

who work in the town centre. Some of us

have been working with Council officers and

others develop a Credit crunch road-show

that will operate over the next year. Also, as

part of the town‟s Festival of Diversity this

year, we staffed a stall in Spindles, the town‟s

main shopping precinct, for three days. We

had scores of interesting conversations and

received over 100 prayer requests that were

taken back to our own churches to be

included in our prayers of intercession. One

person returned one afternoon to tell us that

the prayer request he had left in the morning

had already been answered. „O ye of little

faith‟! Isn‟t it amazing how, when we think

we are being really brave and adventurous,

we find that God is already there ahead of us?

John Piper

September 2009


Middlebrook Retail Chaplaincy By Rev Wendy White

The Chaplaincy at Middlebrook started as a

pilot scheme to „test the water‟ for four months

from April 2008. It was enthusiastically

received by both retailers and management and

consequently Revd Wendy White was

ordained as the Ecumenical Co-ordinating

Chaplain on 1st November 2008.

It has been a busy year. A short Armistice

Service which was designed to be accessible to

both staff and shoppers was held on 11th

November but most initiatives have been much

less formal.

Weekly visiting to the majority of stores at

Middlebrook led to fascinating and

challenging conversations. It also leads to a

few surprises! (see picture!) In addition we

have explored how to support stores during

their peak times.

This resulted in a pre-Christmas initiative

encouraging shoppers to say „thank you;‟ to

staff as they shopped, to offer „thank you‟

cards and to express their

appreciation for particularly

good service. Stores and

staff appreciated this and

several shop managers

noted the „thank you‟s on

staff records and ensured

that staff efforts were

recognised internally. In

addition, as volunteers

handed out cards to arriving

shoppers for them to pass

on we had many interesting

conversations – shoppers

were particularly impressed

with the idea of churches

working together and no

donations being requested!

At Easter the Park

Management encouraged

the chaplaincy to explore

the possibility of being

„visible‟ in the Park and Wendy undertook

story-telling‟ based in various shops,

entertaining children with a version of the

events leading up to Easter through the eyes of

the gardener ‟s children.

It has also been a year for training. In the

autumn the Chaplaincy supervised a placement

for an Anglican OLM in training, which he

survived and even enjoyed! In addition the

chaplaincy has built into its founding

documents the encouragement to involve

churches in economic life and not to be distant

from the work of the chaplaincy. As Wendy

has been invited to preach, or lead worship,

across local denominations there has been

much interest and therefore through May to

July there was a training course, based on

IMA outlines, for anyone exploring the

possibility of volunteering for the team. Also

open to chaplains and explorers from the town

centre chaplaincy this has resulted in six

chaplains currently being introduced on

Middlebrook with a seventh to come online

after Christmas. This is

enabling Wendy to extend the

chaplaincy to other stores

which the chaplaincy had not

previously had the resources

to gift. The interest has been

such that there are plans to

rerun the course in October for

more people interested in

being involved – which would

enable the chaplaincy to be

extended into the vast

surrounding business park –

which was always part of the

original vision.

It feels like a blessed, but

whirlwind year. Over October

we will be involved in the

support for Cancer Awareness

and then the cycle from

November will start over

again!

We noticed (bottom left hand corner)

that perhaps Partyland was offering a

surprising service!


Farewell to Fr Joe Carter The Annual Report for

2008/9 could not be

complete without a tribute

being paid to Fr Joe Carter

who was part time Industrial Chaplain and

Parish Priest of St Antony‟s Church, Trafford

Park. Fr Joe became involved in Chaplaincy

originally to the Police Service at Greymare

Lane Police Station in the 1980‟s which was

later developed as Chaplaincy to the Police

Headquarters, Chester House in Old Trafford.

He continued to serve as Chaplain to the Police

up till 2009. Recently Chief Constable Peter

Fahy made a presentation to Fr Joe in

recognition of the service he has given to the

Police and Chaplaincy in Greater Manchester.

Fr Joe‟s Industrial Chaplaincy started when he

was curate in the Parish of St Alphonsus at Old

Trafford in the 1970‟s through his contact with

Rev Brian Cordingly. When he was appointed

as the Parish Priest of St Antony‟s, Trafford

Park in 1975, he very quickly started to develop

a response to the needs of the community living

in the heart of Trafford Park which were under

threat of re-development and compulsory

purchase orders. Working with members of the

community and local churches, he established

the Trafford Park Residents Association which

was to become a significant group representing

the interests of local people as they dealt with

the consequences of re-development and the

loss of their houses. He eventually joined the

Greater Manchester Industrial Mission Council

and was Chaplain to the Kellogg Company of

Great Britain which was later added to with

Chaplaincies at Mr Kiplings Wythenshawe

Bakery, Brooke Bond later to become

Batchelors Fine Foods and to Duerrs Jam

originally in Old Trafford. In the late 1980‟s a

video was produced by a team from the

University of Manchester Media Studies Unit

which dealt with the work of Fr Joe as Chaplain

and Parish Priest in the area of Trafford Park

“Industrial Strength”. The video captured very

well the person centred approach of the

Chaplaincy that Fr Joe has always offered and

the warm appreciation by local employees to his

style of ministry and his commitment to walking

alongside those in the World of Work. This was

further recognised by the Trafford Park

Business Forum who appointed Fr Joe as their

Chaplain.

Fr Joe was instrumental in helping to establish

the St Antony‟s Centre for Church & Industry

with the co-founder Kevin Flanagan, the present

Director and a member of the GMIM Team.

Throughout the late 1980‟s and „90‟s, Fr Joe

served on the Trafford Park Development

Corporation Community Liaison Committee,

again reflecting the needs of the Churches and

the community on the key issues of economic

development. He worked for a number of years

alongside the Rev Rowland Goodwin who was

also appointed to serve on the Industrial Estate.

The trio of Kevin, Rowland and Fr Joe were

significant influences on the development of the

area and key community links for churches and

people in the World of Work.

Fr Joe throughout this time retained a very

active Parish of St Antony‟s despite the removal

of the residents of the area in the early 1980‟s.

The Parish continued to flourish with people

drawn to the style of ministry and engagement

that Fr Joe offered. Many felt they had obtained

a personal chaplain. Fr Joe‟s energies were

unbounding with his service as the Chaplain to

the Centre for Church & Industry, as Chair of

the National Conference of Priests, Chaplain to

the Salford Diocesan Young Christian Workers

movement and for a period serving as YCW

National Chaplain. He also served as the

Chaplain to the National Catholic Lay

Association (NCLA).

It is without doubt that the list of contributions

Fr Joe has made not only to the World of Work

but to the important area of the Adult Lay

Apostolate and encouraging people to become

active in their own workplace, Trade Union or

Community from a Christian perspective is

significant. The Church as a whole and

Trafford Park in particular owes Fr Joe a

significant debt for his unstinting contribution to

serving people offering a great witness as a

Priest and Chaplain to people in work.

Fr Joe retired to Gainford in July 2009, we wish

him every blessing for the future.


Bolton Christian Cohesion

The Bolton Christian Community Cohesion

BCCC development team is now in its second

year under the revised Area Based Grant

format. This past year has been a very

exciting journey. There is now a staff team of

five with an expanded work brief, reaching a

much wider audience. BCCC is represented

on numerous forums and partnership

meetings across the Borough. This increase in

knowledge, networking and involvement has

served to highlight the valuable work of

churches and Christian groups operating at

grass roots level across Bolton.

The current phase of funding ends in 2011

but the aim is to produce a five year strategic

plan. There are two key objectives. The first

focus is to empower our Christian partners

with the right training, support and resources

to practically help our neighbours here in

Bolton, bringing back a sense of community

and belonging to our neighbourhoods. A

practical example of this has been the X-

change conferences which have been running

throughout the year. One of these events

focused on funding and volunteering. The

aim was to empower the Christian

community with the skills and information to

locate the resources required for the

community work it seeks to undertake.

BCCC‟s other focus is to bring better

understanding of the various aspects of the

main faiths in Bolton. Through this interfaith

working, barriers of misunderstanding can be

broken down, enabling neighbours to live

together in harmony through a shared

understanding and a respect of each other‟s

beliefs. This has been practically worked out

in the successful faith trails which have been

running predominantly for local schools.

This is where pupils have the opportunity to

learn about cohesion and faith communities

by visiting a mosque, temple and church.

The trail celebrates the positive aspects from

the different faiths that unite us, rather than

focusing on the differences that separate us.

The project is supported by an active and

committed management team. These are a

group of church leaders across the

denominations and leaders of Christian

organisations in Bolton working together

with GMIM. The practical help, skills and

support this partnership brings, enables us be

very effective in our endeavours as we seek

to live out God‟s Kingdom.

Thank you GMIM for your much valued

support.


Meet the GMIM Team

Rev Wendy White

Area: Middlebrook

Retail Park

Rev Alan Scantlebury

Area: Bolton

Town Centre

07887 710690

Mr Kevin Flanagan

Roman Catholic

Area: Trafford Park

And Trade Unions

0161 848 9173

Rev Brian Tomkins

Methodist

Area: Bolton

Town Centre

01204 845 049

Rev Terry Simms

Roman Catholic

Area: Manchester

Airport

0161 489 2113

Rev John Piper

United Reformed Church

Area: Oldham Town

Centre

0780 156 1312

Rev Bob Davies

Methodist

Area: Ashton Town

Centre

01457 837485

Rev Charles Nevin

Anglican

Area: Greater

Manchester Police

0161 485 3397

Rev Kevin Ball

Anglican

Area: Manchester

Airport

0161 489 2838

Rev Philip Brooks

Project Manager

GMIM Office Address

St Antony‟s Centre for Church and Industry

Eleventh Street, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1JF

Tel: 0161-848 9173 ~ Fax: 0161-872 9480

E-mail: ~ www.stantonyscentre.org.uk

Bolton Christian Cohesion Project Workers

Nadine Waterhouse; Tracey Kane; Karen Openshaw and Caroline Wyke

The Bolton Hub Bold Street Bolton BL1 1LS

01204 546 138

GMIM Annual Report 2009

Documents