Dr Antony Edkins has spent his adult life volunteering alongside his professional career, particularly supporting vulnerable people and communities who can too easily be overlooked. Having grown up in the care system, Antony knows that good people shaped his life by opening their homes to him. In doing so, they invested in his future. So, giving something back matters. It has been a thread throughout both his paid and unpaid work.
He is the founding Chair and fundraiser of the Salford Families in Need charity, which supports more than 4,000 families each year. His voluntary work ranges from supporting families experiencing poverty and people leaving prison to fundraising for injured soldiers and veterans through the Grenadier Guards Association (Manchester). He has also led community work around cancer screening, self-harm and suicide prevention, gender-based violence and creating safe spaces for vulnerable people and groups.
He is an established voice for inclusion, EDI and celebrating difference, making sure that minority groups are heard. Antony’s work reflects his conviction that lasting change comes through building relationships, persuasion and working together in partnership. Now retired from teaching after 37 years in education and public service, Antony continues to work part-time alongside his voluntary and charitable commitments.