Chats with the Trinity team - Steve

A conversation with Trinity Trustee, Steve Bonnick

For our latest chat in the series where we get to know the Trinity team, we chatted with long-time Trinity Trustee, Steve Bonnick, who recently contributed to our blog with his write-up of our 2025 Christmas party!

Steve speaking at our 50th Anniversary celebrations

Hi Steve! You've been involved with Trinity for many years now, how long has it been exactly?

I've been formally involved with Trinity Centre for over a decade now but informally, it's been a lot longer.

Tell us a bit about how it all started for you.

I was involved informally for some time, and started to become much more involved when our Patron, Sir Stephen Timms, twisted my arm to volunteer as a Trustee, particularly to offer my expertise and experience in business and IT.

How has the Centre changed during your time with Trinity?

The centre has changed massively since I was first involved. Visually, it looks so much better now. Covid was a terrible time but it did give the centre the chance to decorate and generally spruce itself up while it wasn't in constant use during the lockdowns. Our Building Maintenance Manager, Jerry, did a fantastic job at this time.

Over the years, the Centre has had its ups and downs and is happily now on a very sound financial footing. This is mostly due to the hard work of the Centre Director, Paul, in attracting the local community, alongside the generosity of some Trusts that fund our activities, such as the Tudor Trust.

I also must mention Trinity Day Care Nursery, a vital part of the Centre. The Nursery is attracting more and more young families, and feels like it is going in the right direction - always improving, thanks to the staff's hard work and dedication.

What's the best thing, in your opinion, about the Trinity Centre?

Without a doubt, it's the variety of groups that use the building and are happy to celebrate with one another. At a time of division and discord, it is vital to have community cohesion. 

What do you do outside of your role with Trinity?

I am basically retired although I still run a small IT company, and volunteer as a Trustee elsewhere. I have four lovely granddaughters, aged from 4-11, who live nearby, so we spend a lot of time in childcare and chauffeuring! I also enjoy cycling when the weather is a bit warmer.

A group photo from our 50th Anniversary celebration

What's your favourite memory of, or related to, Trinity Centre?

My favourite memories are around the celebrations the centre had to mark its 50th birthday. It was great to see such a large, varied, multi-cultural group enjoying such an auspicious birthday.

On a more personal note...

Can you tell us something you're really good at?

On a personal note, if I say so myself, I am rather good at making marmalade. Every year I make a large batch from Seville oranges. It is much better than shop marmalade :).

Can you tell us something surprising about yourself?

I have managed with the help of the internet to trace my family tree on my paternal side back nearly 500 years!

The surname Bonnick is not very common and so is much easier to trace than many names. Most of my ancestors were agricultural labourers in Bedfordhsire, in villages near Luton.