Oct


30

YMCA Bournemouth Celebrates OVER 145 Years of Community Impact with Inspiring Event

  YMCA Bournemouth recently held a special celebration event 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…

Aug


9

The Chatterboxes, a youth action project run by young people with disabilities, raises over £300 at its annual variety show

The Chatterboxes, a YMCA Bournemouth project, supports young people (aged 11-25) years old with disabilities such as Autism, Learning Disabilities, visual impairments and Down Syndrome. The Chatterboxes raise awareness of disabilities and create a community which is equal for all whilst being surrounded by friendship and laughter. It empowers, & up-skills young disabled people and…

Jun


25

Townsend Youth Partnership Receives £2,500 Thanks To The KFC Youth Foundation – To Support The Youth Club On Townsend

The Townsend Youth Partnership (Charity number 1093213) is situated on the Townsend estate in Bournemouth. The partnership provides a safe place for young people to go, providing positive opportunities for them to develop personal and social/interpersonal skills. The partnership recently received a grant of £2,500 awarded by The KFC Youth Foundation to enable the delivery…

Jun


22

YMCA Bournemouth grows its support to businesses and charities by launching a Clinical Supervision service

Clinical supervision is a formal process of professional support, reflection and learning that contributes to individual development. It consists of the practitioner meeting regularly with another professional, not necessarily more senior, but normally with training in the skills of supervision, to discuss casework and other professional issues in a structured way. The purpose is to…

May


14

Launch Event of The YMCA Bournemouth Big Sleep Easy 2024 is a great success

Over 40 people representing 15 businesses recently attended the launch event of the YMCA Bournemouth’s Big Sleep Easy 2024. They heard from Sheena Dayman from the YMCA, on the impact that YMCA Bournemouth has had on providing help and support for people experiencing homelessness. In addition, the attendees heard from Mehdi, who found himself homeless,…

Apr


6

Wessex Packaging has again supported the YMCA Bournemouth charity with a donation of cardboard boxes, for a fundraising event in Poole, Dorset

Wessex Packaging has again supported the YMCA Bournemouth charity with a donation of cardboard boxes, for a fundraising event in Poole, Dorset. Each year, the YMCA team organise ‘Sleep Easy’ events in collaboration with local schools and organisations, to raise much needed funds. These ‘Sleep Easy’s’ are organised to help raise awareness of the hardships…

Apr


4

Local pub donates £500 to charity by selling 1000 burgers

The Goods Yard pub in Broadstone is donating 50p for every Junction Burger sold to The Junction Leisure Centre The Goods Yard pub in Broadstone re-opened in October 2023 as part of the Fired Up Collective. Since its inception in 2020 the Fired Up Collective (FUC) has become one of the fastest growing boutique restaurant…

Dec


7

Townsend Youth Partnership receives £24,980 thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery Players – To support a Youth Action Project run by young people with disabilities.

The Townsend Youth Partnership (Charity number 1093213) is situated on the Townsend estate in Bournemouth. The partnership provides a safe place for young people to go, providing positive opportunities for them to develop personal and social/interpersonal skills. The partnership recently received a grant of £24,980 awarded by Postcode Local Trust, thanks to funds raised by…

Nov


8

Local pub to donate money to YMCA Bournemouth for every burger sold

The Goods Yard pub in Broadstone will donate 50p for every Junction Burger sold to The Junction Leisure Centre The Goods Yard pub in Broadstone has been recently re-opened as part of the Fired Up Collective. Since its inception in 2020 the Fired Up Collective (FUC) has become one of the fastest growing boutique restaurant…

Nov


6

YMCA Bournemouth launches Christmas gift campaign for supported housing residents

We are appealing for the Dorset community to spread some Christmas cheer by giving a gift to those in need this festive period.  Our 17th ‘Prezzies for Rezzies’ campaign launches today, where we encourage members of the public to write Christmas cards and donate gifts for residents of our supported housing services.  Last year, 114 residents…

Oct


12

Support from Wessex Packaging for our Sleep Easy events in Dorset

We’re pleased to announce that Wessex Packaging is supporting the YMCA’s ‘Sleep Easy Challenge’ events in Dorset. Organised by YMCA Bournemouth, a Bournemouth based charity, the ‘Sleep Easy Challenge’ encourages schools, businesses and individuals, to raise funds for the charity, by “sleeping rough for one night, so others don’t have to”. The YMCA Bournemouth has…

Aug


18

Increasing Our Positive Impact Locally

YMCA Bournemouth are delighted to have worked positively with the team at Fitness First (Poole) over the last two weeks to successfully arrange the rescue of this fitness club. YMCA will be operating the club as a local organisation under a new name from 1st September 2023. All those involved, including the valued staff located at…

May


27

YMCA Bournemouth counselling service demand doubles over two years

Our service has expanded in 2023 to support more individuals in our local community YMCA Bournemouth has reported an all-time high demand for our counselling services, after delivering more than 450 sessions in the first quarter of 2023 alone – an increase from 217 sessions during the same period in 2021. Anxiety accounted for 40%…

May


20

YMCA Bournemouth’s Sandyholme retreat upgraded following refurbishment

Over the past months, we have been enhancing our stunning and popular Sandyholme House retreat in Studland, Dorset through extensive upgrade works. Sandyholme sleeps up to 28 people and offers the ideal getaway for all – from youth groups and churches to charities and large families. Located a five-minute walk from the beach, the retreat…

Feb


6

Apprenticeships at YMCA Bournemouth provide ‘Skills for Life’

This year’s theme for National Apprenticeship is ‘Skills for Life’ – something which rings true with our own apprenticeship programme. For more than 25 years, we have been providing long-term career opportunities at The Junction, with 25 individuals having completed apprenticeships over the past eight years. Each person that has embarked on our programme has…

Dec


13

YMCA Bournemouth services support thousands of Dorset residents in 2022  

This year, we have dealt with an unprecedented demand for our support services – with over 2,000 sessions delivered for housing support and counselling services so far.  We have been dedicated to tackling various social concerns in the county, from housing and education to health and wellbeing, which have only been exacerbated by the cost-of-living…

Oct


25

YMCA Bournemouth’s Big Sleep Easy event raises over £28,000

YMCA Bournemouth’s fourth annual Big Sleep Easy has hit a milestone as donations have exceeded £28,000 since the big event took place on Saturday 15th October at Talbot Heath School. The evening saw the community uniting for a common cause, as more than 35 people from different organisations raised money by braving the weather and…

Oct


10

YMCA Bournemouth launches affordable counselling service

YMCA Bournemouth has unveiled a new low-cost counselling service for residents in Bournemouth and its surrounding areas amid increasing cost of living pressures. Individuals can speak to a trained counsellor either in person or virtually for just £35 per 50-minute session – typically 25% less than similar services currently offered within the BCP area. All…

Aug


22

YMCA Bournemouth Family Hubs provide emergency food bags and food vouchers

As a nation, we know it isn’t right that anyone should be left hungry or living in extreme poverty. But whilst we work for long-term change, food banks provide emergency food and compassionate, dignified support to people locked in crisis.   At YMCA Bournemouth Family Hubs we are able to provide emergency food bags and…

Jul


21

YMCA Bournemouth unveils strong support statistics for 2021/22

YMCA Bournemouth has revealed a sea of positive results achieved for its services over the past year, thanks to the tireless efforts of its team and ongoing valued support from local communities. Between 1st April 2021 and 31st March 2022, YMCA Bournemouth supported and housed 174 individuals, provided more than 53,000 meals, and hosted 850…

Jul


6

Level 3 Emergency First Aid Course at The Junction

Another professional Level 3 Emergency First Aid Course delivered at The Junction Sports & Leisure Centre. Congratulations to all candidates for successfully passing the recent course and becoming newly qualified First Aiders. The five main aims of First Aid are: Preserve life Prevent the escalation of the illness or injury Promote recovery Pain relief Protect…

May


24

Working Together … For A Greater Good and IMPACT!

Sadly not everyone has sufficient funds to purchase a computer, and hence struggles when it comes to being part of the digital age we all now live in. How many of us take it for granted to pop onto a laptop/computer to organise our finances, shop, order things, simply surf and to basically sort out…

Mar


4

Allchurches Trust Funding

YMCA Bournemouth is delighted to announce success in attracting funding support from Allchurches Trust following a £20,000 award from the charitable organisation. Targeting young people particularly adversely impacted by Covid-19, our Innovation Hub, based at Townsend Estate, will support young people living in this area, which is amongst the 10% most deprived in the UK….

Feb


25

COVID Vaccination Programme

YMCA Bournemouth is proud to partner with South Coast Medical Group and the Health Bus Trust to deliver Covid vaccines to those in temporary or emergency accommodation in our facilities and those across the partnership supporting people in BCP. Dr Maggie Kirk said, “People are coming in here to access the vaccination programme, whereas they…

Jan


26

YMCAB Public Prayer Meeting

A chance to pray for each other and the World. Join us every Tuesday morning between 9:30am – 10:00am. https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78201802723?pwd=Y0M1cHZXYS9GYmJjMnM5cEprbjM5Zz09

Nov


9

The Junction – Centre Closure Nov 2020

Dear All Following the Government announcement on Saturday 31 October 2020, we regret to inform you that The Junction will be closing for four weeks from Thursday 5 November 2020. We do hope to open once again on Thursday 3 December 2020, we shall keep all our Members/Users updated via email, social media and our…

May


11

Local Collaboration At Its Best!

When The Poole Grammar School took up the national call for additional and much needed Personal Protective Equipment, by utilising what they had in their Design Technology area, they came across one obstacle…Boxes! Boxes to store and deliver their self-made PPE Masks to local Surgeries, Care Homes and the YMCA. This is where YMCA Bournemouth/Poole…

Apr


22

YMCAB European Volunteers – Newsletter V1

We are a group of European volunteers doing our placement in different departments of YMCA Bournemouth. Now, as many people around the world, we are working from home and can perfectly understand that time is passing slowly and we need something fun to occupy ourselves during the day. We’ve been working so hard in some…

Apr


17

Update message from our Chief Executive

The YMCA has been serving people in this local community for over 140 years. Those who have gone before us lived through economic crashes, epidemics and wars; and we are all now called upon in this generation to serve humanity with that same compassion, hope, faith and dignity. We continue to draw upon the inspiration…

Mar


25

The Junction – Centre Update

Following the Government’s decision on Friday 20 March 2020, we have closed The Junction Sports & Leisure Centre until further notice. The Junction Sports & Leisure Centre is a YMCA managed facility. We will continue to focus on and communicate with our service users/members via all platforms. Our invaluable employees will be fully supported, and we will as…

Dec


6

Improve your Skills with this Practical Excel Course

Nowadays, everyone needs to know how to use the computer. However there are still almost a quarter (24.3%) of adults can’t use the computer (World Economic Forum, 2017). On top of this, only 5% of the population have reached the most proficient level of computer knowledge. Excel is an essential tool for the workplace, as…

Nov


20

Over £30k raised to combat homelessness at YMCA Bournemouth’s Big Sleep Easy

In the biggest ever event of its type in Dorset, on Saturday 16th November over 160 individuals, businesses and community organisations came together at the YMCA Bournemouth Big Sleep Easy to raise funds to combat homelessness and awareness of the issue. On a night when temperatures reached minus two degrees, fundraisers slept outside at the…

Aug


7

Congratulations to our ‘Going the Extra Mile’ (GEM) Award winners!

A belated congratulations to the three staffmembers who won our ‘Going the Extra Mile’ (GEM) Award for their contributions to the ongoing success of YMCA Bournemouth. The winners were Kerry Smith, the manager of Teddy’s Pre School; Rosie Wingrove, a relief practitioner at the YMCA Bournemouth Child Contact Centre; and Laura Giles, the manager of YMCA Lifewise Gym, Bournemouth and YMCA…

Jul


17

HealthBus drop-in clinic for the homeless, supported by YMCA Bournemouth, receives £50,000 Nationwide Community Grant

This summer, the HealthBus, a healthcare outreach service for rough sleepers operated by Boscombe’s Providence Surgery and supported by YMCA Bournemouth, received significant recognition of the value of its work when it was awarded a grant of £47,993 from the Nationwide Community Grants programme. The money will fund GP costs, insurance, nursing salary, drug/alcohol and…

Jun


6

YMCA celebrates 175 years!

YMCAs across the country celebrated on Thursday 6 June 2019 to mark 175 years since 22 year-old draper George Williams joined 11 friends to organise the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets of London. That…