About Us

A statement of hope: Rooted in the belief that we can make a difference

The Laudato Si Centre is an exciting new project at Wardley Hall which aims to make the Diocese of Salford a flagship for effective action on the environmental crisis.

Why Salford and Why Bishop John?

The centre was announced by Bishop John in Lent 2019 in response to the current climate crisis and Pope Francis’s call for us all to care for our common home in his document Laudato Si’, which the centre is named after.

Bishop John is the spokesperson for the Bishop’s Conference for England and Wales on the environment. He challenged parishes, schools, and individuals to take the environmental crisis more seriously and to make small changes in their own lives that would make a difference. The Bishop didn’t just ask others to make changes; he responded to his own challenge by beginning this major environmental project in the grounds of his residence.

The land, woodland, and unused buildings on the estate of Wardley Hall provides us with a space for all to learn how they can take practical action to tackle climate change and will help to work towards a sustainable world for future generations.

What are we trying to achieve?

We want to transform the unused space into a centre of excellence. On display will be achievable and affordable practical actions that schools, groups and individuals can take away and develop in their own communities.

Through the Laudato Si’ Centre we will seek to model how a great deal of difference can be made, through a number of small actions in our personal lives. We want to educate, inform, engage and inspire people to begin the journey of ecological conversion in their own lives and in the communities in which they live and work.

What’s next?

Working with planners, architects, and our design team we are looking to finalise plans for the transformation of the unused stable block. The planning application for the first phase of this process has been submitted and approved.

We are driven by our vision that the centre will be a place of practical actions: inspired by our faith, rooted in prayer, but welcoming and accessible to people of all faiths and none.

To find out how you can support us on our journey please contact:

laudatosi@dioceseofsalford.org.uk