YMCA nurseries rated ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors after first inspections Two nurseries operated by YMCA Black Country Group have received “good” ratings in their first Ofsted inspections following recent visits.
The Black Country Chamber of Commerce has announced YMCA Black Country Group as its charity of the year for 2024/25. The Chamber will be fundraising for the YMCA at events throughout the next 12 months, including at its Business Awards.
Community memories of the YMCA in the Black Country from the 1950s onwards are being sought ahead of the 180th anniversary celebrations of the charity for young people. We want to hear from people who joined community events in previous decades, used local services, lived in accommodation or worked for the charity so they can…
We recently started recruiting for a young person to join our Board. As a youth organisation, we believe it’s crucial that young people are given a voice and an opportunity to have a say on the direction of our work moving forward.
Stock photo used to protect identity. Hayley was referred to the YMCA in Rugeley when she was 17 years old. A relationship breakdown with family due to domestic violence left her homeless. Hayley was desperate for accommodation and was able to access one of our emergency bed spaces. She arrived with her social worker in…
Stock photo used to protect identity. Amanda and her son were referred by their Jobcentre for support with completing a UC50 form (Limited Capability to Work). A recent horrific incident had left Amanda’s adult son with life-changing injuries. A few weeks later they returned to YMCA Small Street Centre for support with completing a PIP…
PMP Consultants are the latest local business to be supporting YMCA Black Country by taking part in our Sleep Easy fundraising challenge event on Friday 8 March.
Higgs LLP is partnering with YMCA Black Country in support of our Sleep Easy event scheduled for Friday, March 8th. This collaborative effort aims to raise vital funds to address the root causes of youth homelessness and aid young individuals in their journey towards independence. On Friday 8th March, a dedicated team from Higgs LLP…
For one night only, Black Country residents and businesses will sleep out overnight, to raise awareness and vital funds to combat youth homelessness across our area. YMCAs across the country will be sleeping out Friday 8th March, with the local Black Country event taking place in Merry Hill Car Park. Participants receive two boxes to…
Department for Work and Pensions today launched their Sandwell Youth Hub, in partnership with Sandwell Council and YMCA Black Country Group at YMCA’s West Bromwich site in Carters Green. The Sandwell Youth Hub works with young people aged 18-24, who are referred by the Jobcentre to overcome barriers they may be facing that are preventing…
Zanko arrived in the UK after fleeing from Iran in 2021 at the age of 16. Due to his age he was picked up by Children’s Services and placed with a foster family where he thrived and became part of the family, speaking very little English, Zanko was enrolled on an ESOL course. When Zanko…
YMCA works with a diverse range of clients and service users, from all backgrounds, cultures, faiths and experiences. As such, it’s crucial that as a charity that supports individuals we adapt our way of working.
The Black Country Chamber of Commerce has named Kellie Simcox as the ‘Employee of the Year’ at their high profile 2023 Awards that took place on 9th November. Kellie Simcox, Area Manager of YMCA Day Nurseries in the Black Country, beat off the challenge of some of the region’s most talented individuals to win the…
Representatives from the City of Wolverhampton Council were welcomed by Midland’s housing provider, whg, Cannock based developers, MORRO Partnerships, YMCA Black Country Group and ASAN on Friday (20th October) for an exclusive tour of the extensive redevelopment site at The Royal Quarter, off Cleveland Road in Wolverhampton. The Royal Quarter is the project name that…
Yesterday, we had a special celebration to honour Eric and Brenda Moore and their dedicated service to YMCA for 70 and 50 years respectively. Eric first joined YMCA in 1953 and went on to hold many roles on a local and National level; Brenda supported him eventually becoming a full member herself and starting the…
In the heart of Gornal, there is a truly remarkable place that Senior Mentor with the YMCA Gateway to Achieve Project, Jay Pyatt, has been able to support over the past 18 months – Hope House, a place of collaboration, compassion, and community spirit that has touched the lives of many. Jay is now to…
YMCA Black Country Group is thrilled to announce the attainment of two exceptional OFSTED results across its esteemed network of nurseries. After taking over the nursery during the COVID-19 pandemic, YMCA achieved a “GOOD” result at Hayes Lane Nursery in Stourbridge, with YMCA Greets Green Day Nursery in West Bromwich received an Outstanding result the…
A kind-hearted Wolverhampton car dealership has joined forces with YMCA Black Country Group to help provide essential support for local families. Evans Halshaw Vauxhall, which employs 40 people at its site on the Bilston Road, is aiming to fill a car up with food and everyday items that will help ease the cost-of-living crisis in…
Alam had some struggles which derailed his personal and professional growth; his love for computers and programming remained his anchor in these tumultuous times. Thanks to the YMCA team’s nurturing support, Alam’s life has been transformed through his association with YMCA Gateway to Achieve, a mentoring program committed to empowering individuals with barriers to employment….
YMCA are hosting a Recruitment Evening on Tuesday 18th July and would like to invite anyone looking to start or grow in a career in childcare; we’re looking for inspiring people to join our team of early years educators.
Highland Road’s garden has enjoyed a little TLC from local volunteers from Dudley Society of Artists. Terry, who is a regular volunteer offered his services to provide a relaxing and secluded space for residents to hang out in. The staff and residents of Highland Road have been working on the garden for several months, planting…
We’re delighted to announce that YMCA Black Country Group has capped one of its largest ever recruitment drives by securing a prestigious workforce award. YMCA BC was been awarded the Gold Investors in People award, one of the highest standards achievable for training and developing your employees.
YMCA Black Country Group is pleased to announce that work has started on our next phase of development at our 235 Y-Living accommodation in Hamstead, West Bromwich. The new development which will provide 26 safe and secure affordable homes for young professionals and families, will be made up of two buildings, complete with one-bedroom studio…
YMCA Black Country Nurseries have developed a unique nursery curriculum that supports the learning of children from 0-5 years old.
We’d like to introduce you to the new CEO of YMCA Black Country Group, Steve Bavington. We sat down to hear a little about how his passion for thriving communities has led to his return to YMCA Black Country Group.
ONLINE GIVING IS OPEN UNTIL 10th APRIL. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING On Friday 10th March, despite the freezing temperatures, a group of dedicated individuals gathered in Merry Hill car park in support of the YMCA Black Country Group.
If we were to tell you that today was all about fasting you might not believe us, but it’s true! Pancake Day is all about fasting, and here’s why…
YMCA Black Country Group are delighted to announce the appointment of Steve Bavington for our next Chief Executive Officer. Following a robust appointment process and a lot of prayer, Trustees chose Steve from a strong field of candidates as the person to lead us into the next phase of our exciting work and progression.
Sleep Easy is a fundraising challenge event asking you to spend one night sleeping rough, all to raise vital funds to help tackle the root causes of youth homelessness.
YMCA Black Country Group celebrated the Grand Opening of YMCA City Gateway on Friday 4th November ’22 following the completion of the final phase in August ’22. The new facility was officially opened by Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General of World YMCA (who flew in from Geneva especially for the occasion) together with the Rt Rev…
YMCA European Unify is an opportunity to bring people together with different cultural and spiritual backgrounds. The theme of this year’s conference was “Refreshed. Renewed. Moved” and was held in Vienna, Austria. Several representatives from YMCA Black Country Group attended this year and have shared their reflections of their experience.
As the cost of living crisis intensifies, a report launched today by YMCA warns that the health, wellbeing and future prospects of young residents are under threat, with no proposed Government support in sight.
After nearly nineteen years at the helm of YMCAs in the Black Country, Steve Clay has announced he is stepping down as CEO.
We are delighted to have been shortlisted for a number of awards at this year’s #YouthMatters Awards and we’d love for you to show your support; it takes less than two minutes to vote and you could swing it in our favour. Read on the learn more about the categories and nominees.
YMCA operates a network of 8 nurseries across the Black Country and we’re inviting parents, carers and soon-to-be parents to take a look around. Join us for a tour of our facilities, a chance to get to know our team, ask questions about our bespoke curriculum and experience some of the activities we offer at…
During our World Culture Day celebrations on 21 May 2022 which were held at our new £8.5M ‘City Gateway’ YMCA centre in Wolverhampton, we were presented with our certificate of achievement for the new international standard ISO 30415 in Human Resource Management: Diversity and Inclusion.
Last week young people and mentors attended YMCA City Gateway for monthly mentor/Mentee mixer as part of our Y’s Girls Mentoring programme. Offering both young people and volunteers the opportunity to get to know each other and engage in group activities. The session was attended by…
PLEASE DONATE Our approach has now changed to Financial Donations only – YMCA Europe can get supplies to affected people, much quicker and more efficiently. We’d like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who have brought physical aid donations to our local ‘drop-off’ locations in support of our Ukrainian Refugee appeal. There has been a huge response….
UPDATED 14/3/21 – Our approach has now changed to Financial Donations only – YMCA Europe can get supplies to affected people, much quicker and more efficiently. Please make your donations here. Working with our partners across the Black Country You can drop off you items at the following YMCA locations Monday – Friday between 9am…
YMCA Black Country Group stands in solidarity with our friends and colleagues from YMCA Ukraine as the awful scenes from Kyiv and across the country are beamed across our media platforms. In this VIDEO, Viktor Serbulov, General Secretary of YMCA Ukraine describes the shock of the unprovoked Russian invasion of a democratic European country, and…
Download the Report here Research released today by YMCA reveals that not only have funding cuts now reached £1.1bn (a real-terms fall of 74% since 2010/11) but annual spend per head on 5-to-17-year-olds in England has plummeted from £158 in 2010/11 to just £37 in 2020/21.
Ending Universal Credit uplift will disproportionately affect vulnerable young people in their housing, working and living experiences YMCA research into government figures today reveals the true extent of potential damage to some of the most vulnerable among the 918,000* young people currently claiming Universal Credit if the £20 a week uplift is removed on 6…
YMCA Black Country Group join a collaboration of YMCA’s celebrating securing a 4-year contract to deliver the RAF Benevolent Fund’s flagship Airplay programme! Airplay is approaching its 11th birthday and is designed to help meet the social, recreational and developmental needs of over 11,000 children and young people of the serving RAF family. YMCA Black Country…
We are delighted to have been shortlisted for a number of awards at this year’s #YouthMatters Awards and we’d love for you to show your support; it takes less than two minutes to vote and you could swing it in our favour. You can find out more about the categories and our nominees below; Young…
This month we are backing a petition with YMCAs across England & Wales to urge the Government to do more to help young people living in supported housing be able to move on to independent living.
YMCA’s purpose built ‘City Gateway’ Day Nursery, off Cleveland Road, Wolverhampton will be opening its doors in 2021 offering 115 childcare places.
Transforming Wolverhampton, a Landmark City Centre Scheme The new YMCA, off Cleveland Road, Wolverhampton is an integrated mix of social housing, enterprise, early years provision and community services.
YMCA England and Wales report is entitled ‘Young and Black’ and sets out young black peoples’ perceptions of racism in the UK today in a number of important areas – notably education, Police/crime, health, employment and finance.
In proud memory of the life of Rose Lyseight. In 1953, amidst the backdrop of the recent arrival of Commonwealth citizens from the West Indies from 1948 in and effort to rebuild the United Kingdom following the catastrophic impact of the Second World War, a small group of Pentecostal Christians from the Caribbean held their…
We are able to re-open our YGym facilities from Saturday 25th July, we wanted to advise you on how we have prepared so that it is safe and ready for your return. There are also ways in which you can prepare for when you return, so have a read through this bulletin for guidance on…
Dear Friends, During the last few weeks we have witnessed the world rise up in protest against racial inequality, sparked by the murder of George Floyd on 25 May in the United States. For many of us, it has opened old wounds; bringing up feelings of sadness, anger and frustration at the deep racial injustices…
For any teenager, experiencing a family breakdown is one of the most challenging life experiences that they could ever face. However, the risk of homelessness for 16-18 year olds leaves them with an even more daunting prospect during the Covid-19 outbreak, as many teenagers are left wondering what will happen and where they will go….
What? The Global Photo Challenge takes place on our Birthday, 6th June 2020, and is part of the World Challenge activities. It’s a chance for you to show off your favourite YMCA merchandise, have fun, challenge friends and see the diversity within the YMCA. Here’s the schedule for the day How? All you need is…
We realise that this is a time of uncertainty for everyone and want to assure you that we have the welfare of service users, staff, volunteers and community members, as a priority at this very challenging time. What follows are the current arrangements for the different areas of our organisation, based on the latest government advice…
With the impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak being felt by businesses around the world, we are writing to update you on the current status of our Nursery and Childcare facilities in line with the government’s latest announcement. As you may be aware, it has been announced that all schools in the UK are to…
YMCA Black Country Group is asking local people to vote for one of its inspiring young people ahead of a prestigious national youth awards ceremony. The local youth charity, which has operated in the Black Country has nominated YMCA young person, Clotilda Tigere as Young Achiever of the Year in Youth Matters Awards 2019. Youth…
Lord-Lieutenant Mr John Crabtree OBE, of the West Midlands, visited YMCA Black Country Group along with Ian Austin MP, to find out more about the Supported Lodgings and Emergency Accommodation Service, YMCA Open Door. Since 2009, YMCA Open door provides housing to young people aged 16-25 in the homes of trained and approved volunteer Hosts,…
Major UK funder says charities across the West Midlands are innovating to meet high levels of social need The Garfield Weston Foundation more than doubles its £5m anniversary fund to over £11m to support over 150 charities after overwhelming demand One of the UK’s largest charitable funders says small community charities are rising to…
This Summer I had the opportunity to attend the Youth Unify leadership camp in Romania. It was at the camp I had the opportunity to meet with other young leaders and delegates from across YMCA in Europe.
After raising money for The Glebe Centre at their family fun day the team at YMCA Greets Green Day Nursery had an opportunity to donate all the items they managed to buy for the people who benefit from the Glebe’s support. Staff and Volunteers at the Glebe Centre ensure that everyone they come into contact…
Kate Hinsley, Support Worker at YMCA’s Badger Court project in Wolverhampton have along with the project itself, have been awarded for their hard work by West Midlands Police in protecting YMCA residents from Child Sexual Exploitation.
YMCA Black Country Group provides supported accommodation in Dudley to assist young people in their journey from homelessness to independent living. Our accommodation is located on Highland Road and works with 16-17-year-olds with Children’s Services input, Care Leavers and Young vulnerable people aged up to 24 years.
The outstanding efforts and tireless dedication of volunteers working at a homeless centre run by YMCA Black Country, has been honoured with the UK’s highest award for volunteering. The Glebe Centre in Walsall, which provides vital lifeline services to rough sleepers in the area, as well as support for people with drug and alcohol addictions…
Greets Green Day Care is celebrating 10 years of service this year, and to mark the occasion, they are holding an Anniversary Open Day, which will be chock full of fun things to see and do.
Friday 28th April saw more than 45 Hosts from our Open Door Project attend Walsall Council Chambers to be presented with awards to say thank you for their hard work and dedication to the young people they have taken into their homes. The Mayor of Walsall presented the Hosts with their awards after project workers…
The Glebe Centre, Walsall is an incredible provision for the homeless community and supports people with issues around substance misuse, homelessness, mental health and unemployment. It is run by Jane and a tireless team of volunteers. We caught up with Karen, one of the Glebe’s amazing volunteers!
YMCA Black Country backs new national research that shows apprenticeships boost young people’s career prospects YMCA Black Country Group has spoken out about the positive impacts of apprenticeships as new research is released today that shows four in five young people would recommend them to others and more than three quarters say they have improved…
We are excited to announce that the incredible Francesca Millican-Slater will be giving a writing workshop AND a performance of her 5 star show ‘Stories to Tell in the Middle of the Night’ at our Western Gateway site!
Last week we were delighted to welcome Sunny and Shay of BBC Radio WM to Temple Street. They came to visit the brand new, redeveloped Talent Match Hub, and did their show live from our building! There was an incredible atmosphere as the show was taking place, and Brenda, Sharlie and Phil did a fantastic job…
We are very excited to announce that our Open Door project will be holding a Host Appreciation Evening on Friday 28 April at Walsall Council Chambers. The Open Door project supports vulnerable teenagers by placing them with volunteer host families in the community. Operating across the Black Country, it is the largest Supported Lodgings and Nightstop…
As ever, we are completely bowled over by the generosity of the community around us. We are so grateful for all the donations we receive.
Sunday 22 January is Homeless Sunday. Homeless Sunday is a way for churches to demonstrate solidarity with people experiencing homelessness in the UK, to challenge the conditions that give rise to high levels of homelessness, and to celebrate the work of the churches and others in tackling homelessness at all levels, particularly locally.
Happy New Year! We’re jumping head first into 2017 with our very first fundraiser of the year – and it’s super simple for everyone to join in with. All you need is an empty jar – so don’t throw away your empty cranberry sauce jar once the turkey has run out!
YMCA Black Country’s Supported Lodgings will be holding its first Young People’s Awards Ceremony at Wolverhampton Council Chambers on Wednesday 7 December. Awards will be presented by the Mayor of Wolverhampton to Young People from Supported Lodgings for outstanding achievement. Clifford Harding, winner of the Pride of Britain Award in 2013, will be the guest…
A damning report compiled by Shelter has revealed that there are more than a quarter of a million people in England are homeless. Using data from four sets of official 2016 statistics, Shelter has compiled what they have described as a “conservative” total, adjusting down to account for any overlaps between the groups, and not…
On 24 November, hundreds of Sandwell childcare professionals attended a special presentation evening at WS10 Conference Centre, Wednesbury, to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work and high level of childcare in the borough.
This week, YMCA Black Country were delighted to welcome Celebrity TV presenter Adrian Chiles and the Bishop of Wolverhampton, The Right Revd Clive Gregory, who joined forces to officially open the new Western Gateway building in Carters Green, West Bromwich. The £9.5m YMCA facility is now a commanding presence at the western entrance of West…
The Glebe Centre in Walsall recently celebrated 40 years serving the local community. Monika Plaha from Big Centre TV talked with Steve Clay, Chief Executive of YMCA Black Country Group about their 40 year anniversary. View the video here.
We were delighted to recently receive a visit from Emma Reynolds MP (Labour, Wolverhampton North East) who is also the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Emma visited our schemes at Badger Court, Wolverhampton and at Penderford, to see first-hand the work we do and to meet some of the young people…
YMCA Black Country is today saying a huge ‘Thank you’ to The Empty Can band for their amazing, record breaking, busking in Dudley town centre. A total of £586.14 has been raised, with online donations still coming in!
YMCA, the world’s oldest and largest youth charity, is warning of the ‘long-term consequences’ of proposed Housing Benefit changes announced in today’s Queen’s Speech.
Some councils are failing to support homeless young people in need according to new research released last week.
YMCA Black Country Group held another successful Sleep Easy over the weekend (Friday 6th March) with more than 40 local people spending the night sleeping rough at the University of Wolverhampton, to raise money for homeless young people.
Holding a raffle amongst the customers at her Stourbridge based beauticians Tej & Co, Tejinder and her staff were able to raise the fabulous amount of £250 for YMCA Open Door.
Two Dudley Councillors will be spending Christmas Eve sleeping rough to raise awareness of youth homelessness in Dudley and money for YMCA Black Country Group!
YMCA Black Country Group are now half way through their campaign to recruit “25 Hosts in 25 Weeks” in order to meet the growing demand for accommodation in Walsall, but are still looking for more people to come forward in the run up to Christmas.
YMCA Black Country Group announced today our largest investment in the Black Country in recent history with the launch of phases 2 & 3 of the YMCA Western Gateway development in West Bromwich. The project represents an overall investment of around £9.5M on our Carters Green site and will be an iconic landmark, located on the western approach…
Local young hero Zubairi Sentongo from YMCA Black Country Group has been shortlisted to receive the Young Achiever of the Year Award in this year’s prestigious YMCA Youth Matters Awards. Residents are now being encouraged to get behind Zubairi, 19, and help him reach the final stage of the judging process in an exciting online…
The YMCA announced today that it is to save the Young People’s Homeless Service provided by a local Walsall charity from closure.The STREAMS project which provides 21 flats of supported accommodation in North Walsall, run by local charity First Base Walsall was due to close on 30th September following the removal of Supporting People grant…
Two of our Housing Key Workers took to great heights on Sunday 20th July to raise money for YMCA Black Country Group. The pair volunteered to hurl themselves off a 138 foot crane (whilst attached to a bungee rope) raising over £100 between them.
YMCA Black Country Group aims to recruit “25 Hosts over 25 Weeks” in a campaign to provide more accommodation for homeless teenagers across the Black Country.
Councillor for Dudley, Richard Body will be supporting YMCA’s Open Door project, to provide homes for vulnerable teenagers in Dudley.
YMCA Black Country Group will be joining other YMCAs across England in a mass cycle challenge, ‘Tour de Y’ to get more people active and raise vital funds to support local community projects. And they want the entire community to get involved too.
A couple of weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to be featured in The Independent newspaper. The article focuses on Zubairi Sentongo, a YMCA Open Door resident who moved to Wolverhampton after a difficult childhood in Uganda.
YMCA Black Country Group celebrated 5 successful years of Supported Lodgings project which has provided over 14,000 nights of accommodation for homeless teenagers.
YMCA would like to invite people across the Black Country to join them in an evening of celebration of 5 years of the YMCA Open Door project.
This Christmas, our residents will enjoy Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, courtesy of local supermarkets.
Could you extend hospitality to someone in need this winter? YMCA Black Country Group is currently calling out for caring ‘hosts’ across the Black Country who can let a young person stay in their spare room.
YMCA Black Country Group are delighted that the Nightstop emergency accommodation scheme which they run right across the Black Country was featured in last Saturday’s edition of the Guardian.
A number of disadvantaged young people who have been working with the YMCA have been awarded at the Black Country Sports Awards last Friday for completing the ‘Get On Track’ programme.
