YMCA Bournemouth Celebrates over 145 Years of Community Impact with Inspiring Event
Bournemouth, UK — October 17, 2024 — YMCA Bournemouth held a special celebration event on Thursday, October 17, 2024, to showcase its transformative work within the community. Over 100 attendees, including Sir Christopher Lees, Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset, and Cllr George Farquhar, Mayor of Bournemouth, were moved by the powerful stories shared and the dedication of the YMCA staff.
The event featured the premiere of a short film produced by Studio Global, a YMCA business supporter, highlighting the staff’s perspective on their impactful work. Attendees were inspired by personal accounts of resilience and compassion that illustrate the essence of YMCA Bournemouth’s mission: to create supportive, inclusive, and energizing communities where individuals can truly belong, contribute, and thrive.
YMCA Bournemouth has been a beacon of hope for the community for 145 years, offering vital services across Accommodation, Youth Work, Family Work, Health & Wellbeing, Training & Education, and Support & Advice.
“Our dedicated team is passionate about supporting the mind, body, and spirit of our community,” said Gareth Sherwood, CEO of YMCA Bournemouth. “The stories we shared today reflect not only the challenges faced but the tremendous strength and resilience of the people we serve.”
In the past year, YMCA Bournemouth has made a significant impact, including:
- Supporting and housing 184 individuals
- Providing over 54,000 meals
- Hosting 1,250 counselling sessions
- Offering 590 hours of support to 75 young disabled people through the Chatterbox project
- Engaging over 125 young people weekly in youth clubs
- Facilitating over 5,185 days of volunteering through its young volunteers
- Serving more than 5,000 members across its leisure establishments
As a result, YMCA Bournemouth has provided safe, stable accommodation and essential support to those experiencing homelessness, empowered young disabled individuals to improve their well-being and independence, and engaged disadvantaged youth in meaningful life-skills activities.
You can watch the event here:
Pictures from the event can be seen here:
Thank you to Paul Collins and Corin Messer for taking the pictures and recording the event.