Alison Dawson

Construction of an old hall to be transformed into a vital Community Hub by YMCA Norfolk has commenced, just as fundraising efforts surpass £1M. The hall on Aylsham Road was formerly used by war veterans and families before closing in 2014. YMCA’s new project will see the building undergo a complete renovation into an innovative and family focussed community hub, with a nursery, café and soft play centre for 0-11-year olds. The YMCA Norfolk offices will also be moving to the site as part of a long-term commitment to the area.

Work began on the site Thursday 30 January, managed by construction consultancy DCP Surveyors. The existing building is being stripped out before the new purpose built and environmentally friendly facilities are installed.

YMCA Norfolk have recently surpassed £1M in their fundraising efforts, now having raised a total of £1.16M with the support of trusts, foundations and generous individuals, as well as Norfolk County Council. Public support has also helped to raise over £11,000, 45% of the public appeal target of £25,000.

YMCA Norfolk CEO Tim Sweeting said

 “We are excited that we have now passed the £1M mark in our fundraising journey for this project. We are very grateful for the pledges we have received so far to reach this milestone, and they will help to establish our ambitious Community Hub which will benefit and support families and youth in the area for many years to come.”

Once completed, the hub will be the home of Muddy Puddles Nursery, an Ofsted registered Nursery providing a positive environment where children can feel secure and valued. The nursery will have a focus on encouraging children to be curious and adventurous in their play and learning.

The hub will also feature a family centred Community Café, a clean and comfortable restaurant serving coffee and homecooked meals. This will be a space for parents to relax and watch whilst children enjoy the soft play.

Profits made through the Community Hub will be help YMCA Norfolk continue to reinvest in provisions for the local community such as youth clubs.

YMCA Norfolk are continuing to welcome hearing from individuals, community groups or businesses that can offer financial or practical support to take this innovative project forward. Members of the public who would like to offer financial support are invited to visit the public appeal page on Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ymcanorfolkcommunityhub

The escape room is a recent collaboration between YMCA Norfolk, Norfolk Museum Service and Kick the Dust, a programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which aims to transform how heritage organisations engage young people in the UK.

The initiative saw YMCA clients from Great Yarmouth develop and run two escape rooms in Great Yarmouth’s oldest building, the Tolhouse Gaol. This provided a fantastic setting for the themes of ‘Smugglers’ and ‘Witchfinders’ that the two rooms were based on. They were delivered by 5 YMCA clients, four of whom were acting in costume as part of the escape rooms, with one overseeing photography and social media coverage.

After their huge success, the partnership are taking their escape room to Norwich, to be a part of the YMCA 175 exhibition on Tuesday 11^th February on the ground floor of Castle Quarter, 100 Castle Meadow, Norwich, NR1 3DD . The 175 exhibition is a part of the YMCA Heritage and History Roadshow, celebrating the 175^th anniversary of the YMCA by showcasing unique materials and untold stories from YMCA’s history and heritage. In addition to the escape room, there will be a range of historic information and artwork on display depicting the evolution and global reach of YMCA over the past 175 years, along with interactive exhibits. The exhibition will be open from Monday 10^th February till 13^th February from 10am-4pm.

YMCA Norfolk CEO Tim Sweeting commented,

“The YMCA has a rich and a varied history, and this exhibition will be a great opportunity to learn of some of its great achievements such as its work in two World Wars, creating the game of basketball and the remembrance poppy, and its work internationally as the largest youth movement and NGO in the world.”

The escape room will be totally FREE to experience, with four slots available for booking at 12noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm on Tuesday 11^th February. It is a timed escape room, where you will work as a team or independently to solve clues and puzzles in order to prove your innocence to the judge – and you have 45 mins to break free! It will be held in Castle Quarter, in the crazy football unit next to the YMCA shop across from the exhibition.

To book an escape room experience please contact Leanne.lacey@ymcanorfolk.org   For more information regarding the exhibition please contact amanda.bayfield@ymcanorfolk.org

Run Norwich is an award winning 10km road race, organised by the NCFC Community Sports Foundation that takes place in the heart of Norwich’s beautiful and historic city centre.

Last year Run Norwich places sold out within 4 days – this year the 10km race will return for the 6^th time, with demand for places expected to be the highest yet.

As a partner charity for Run Norwich 2020 we are thrilled we can offer 30 places to runners who will, in return, commit to raising a minimum of £150 which will enable us to continue with the vital services we provide. In return we can offer a race shirt and support along the way, including an invitation to join our running group to train for 10k led by our very own Catherine Watling. This will be completely free of charge and will be a fantastic opportunity not only to train but to meet fellow YMCA representative runners before the day. This is likely to start at the beginning of April for 12 weeks but further details will be available closer to the time. We will also provide a fundraising pack, including sponsor forms, and help with linking online fundraising to our YMCA fundraising (site)

In the last year alone, YMCA Norfolk has included provided a safe and secure home to 445 young people, intensive family support to 68 families via our Families Team, enabling 674 young people to participate in Mental Health Awareness sessions and providing 7209 hours of one-to-one support.

To register your interest in securing a place whilst raising funds for YMCA Norfolk please email judy.bailey@ymcanorfolk.org. 

For further race information and rules please follow the link https://www.runnorwich.co.uk/.

YMCA Norfolk is part of the oldest youth charity in the world but we are completely autonomous and solely responsible for raising our own funding which is used to carry out the services we offer to vulnerable young people and families in Norfolk.

Our mission is to inspire young people to discover their potential so that they can live life in all its fullness. We provide accommodation and support to help people towards independent living whilst also providing employment, training and work place experience through our social enterprises and employability projects.