About St. Paul’s

At St. Paul’s Community Trust, we believe that everyone is someone.

For over 50 years, this ethos has guided our work, shaping our past, present, and future.

Our Vision

A Fairer and Brighter Future for Communities

Our Mission

Nurturing lifelong opportunities that leave a lasting impact by working together and investing in people and place.

Our Values

Honesty

We are open and accountable in all we do.

Inclusive

We are welcoming and champion all people.

Togetherness

We cooperate to build communities.

Invest

We support people and recognise potential.

Our Story

Founded in the early 1970s and formally established in 1979, St. Paul’s was born from a shared commitment to creating opportunities for the people of Balsall Heath. What began as a collective effort—bringing together a nursery, adventure playground, and independent specialist school—has since evolved into a thriving organisation, now extending our impact across Hall Green and citywide education settings.

Balsall Heath is a vibrant, diverse community, and as it has changed, so too has St. Paul’s. We have worked alongside local people, VCFSE partners, and the public sector to adapt, grow, and meet emerging needs.

Our Founder Members: A Legacy of Vision and Compassion

Dr. Dick Atkinson and Dr. Anita Halliday

The roots of St Paul’s Community Development Trust stretch back over 50 years to the pioneering vision of our founder members, Dr’s Dick Atkinson and Anita Halliday. Their unwavering commitment to serving the Balsall Heath community laid the cornerstone for everything we achieve today.

Dick and Anita understood something profound: that every person has inherent worth and untapped potential. They believed that with the right support, encouragement, and opportunities, individuals and families could overcome barriers and build brighter futures. This fundamental belief became the DNA of our organisation – a legacy that continues to guide our work across early years, education, youth services, and community development.

Dr. Dick Atkinson and Dr. Anita Halliday’s bench on the day it was unveiled

Their immense contribution extends far beyond the services we provide. Dick and Anita established a culture of compassion, respect, and inclusion that remains at the heart of “Together St Paul’s” today. They demonstrated that sustainable community change happens when we work alongside people, not for them – a principle that shapes every programme, every interaction, and every decision we make.

As we celebrate over five decades of community impact, we honour Dick Atkinson and Anita Halliday’s extraordinary legacy. Their vision continues to inspire the thousands of individuals we support each year, in addition to our farm visitors (12,000 during 24/25), and every life we have the privilege to touch. They showed us that when we believe in people and invest in community, transformation becomes possible.

The future we’re building together stands on the solid foundations they laid – a testament to their enduring impact and the timeless power of their founding vision.