Tony Barrett, pictured left, was loved and respected by the Salford community.
Tributes have been pouring in for well-known Salfordian, Tony Barrett, since the news of his passing was announced this weekend.
A beloved member of the community, Tony Barrett, passed away on Sunday 17th October.
His daughter, Catherine Barrett, wrote on his Facebook page: “Our wonderful & loving dad & Liz’s husband, Tony, sadly died suddenly in the early hours of this morning.
“We are shocked, numb and heartbroken right now, but we know how much Tony meant to so many people and wanted to share this sad news with you all.”
Mr Barrett was a teacher for many years and was heavily involved within the community during his free time.
A colleague of his, Wendy Sinclair, said, “I worked alongside Tony as a school governor for the last four years. He was clearly loved and respected by staff and young people alike. He will be greatly missed by many.”
During his lifetime, Tony Barrett was very influential among Salford youth, and was even the youth leader at Charleston Civic Youth Centre from 1979-1992.
Before assuming the youth leader position, he worked at the centre for about 8 years, where his love for youth work and guiding children outside of office hours grew.
Steve Velo Kilner, who used to DJ at the centre during this time said, “What a totally influential guy Tony was to a lot of youngsters back in the day.
“Fond memories of him, Salford has lost a big character and will be missed by so many, a legend of Salford”.
As time passed Mr Barrett found a love for nature, he visited Hollinwood Scout Camp often and was said to have followed their progress from the beginning.
He was also an avid photographer and found joy in snapping pictures of Salford and the nature around him.
Many enjoyed these pictures on Facebook as he shared them among the Salford community through groups, especially for Boothstown and Worsley, and started producing a calendar featuring his work due to high demand.
Community member Brandon Bailey said: “Tony’s photos made us realise what a beautiful place we live in and he brightened us all up.”
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