Today, YMCA Norfolk is announcing a £249,808 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to save, share and celebrate our 170 years of social history, ensuring this important heritage is preserved and made accessible for future generations.
Founded in Norwich in 1856, YMCA Norfolk has supported local communities for nearly two centuries. They’ve stood alongside young people through wars, the Great Flood of 1912, economic hardship, a global pandemic and profound social change. Despite this long and significant history, much of YMCA Norfolk’s social heritage remains undocumented and at risk of being lost.
The project, Belonging Through Time – YMCA Norfolk at 170, will uncover hidden histories, untold stories and unsung heroes from the charity’s past. By capturing the voices and lived experiences of former and current service users, staff and volunteers, the project will create a lasting legacy to share the impact YMCA Norfolk has had throughout the county.
Without this funding, large parts of YMCA Norfolk’s history, much of which exists only in personal memories, could disappear. This project will safeguard their heritage and transform access to it, enabling people across Norfolk to connect with YMCA Norfolk’s longstanding service within the community.
Over two years, the project will employ dedicated heritage staff and involve both the community and children, young people and families in shaping and co-producing its outputs. It will deliver three public exhibitions across Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn, alongside a ten-episode podcast series and documentary-style video capturing stories from past and present. A 170-year heritage book will be produced and distributed across the county, complemented by a heritage walk in Norwich that will highlight key locations. Educational resource packs will be distributed to primary schools, while photographs, artefacts and oral histories will be collected, digitised and preserved as part of a lasting archive. Together, these outputs will ensure YMCA Norfolk’s heritage is both safeguarded and widely accessible.
Young people currently engaging within YMCA Norfolk’s services, particularly those who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion, will play an active role in researching, collecting and interpreting YMCA Norfolk’s heritage, developing skills in storytelling, oral history, research and digital media. This approach will ensure the heritage is not only preserved, but brought to life in inclusive and meaningful ways.
The project will explore key themes from YMCA Norfolk’s history, including how they’ve created safe spaces for young people to belong, responded to times of crisis, continuously adapted to social change, and how all services have been shaped by youth voice. Together, these stories will demonstrate how the charity has continually evolved to meet young people’s needs throughout Norfolk whilst fostering belonging and resilience.
In the long term, the project will celebrate and strengthen pride in YMCA Norfolk’s 170-year legacy, deepen community connections, and ensure its rich social history is preserved and shared as a lasting asset for future generations
Susie Knights, Marketing and Fundraising Manager at YMCA Norfolk, said:
“This is an exciting project where we will unearth untold stories and the social history of YMCA Norfolk, which has played a significant role in the community for 170 years. We are looking forward to engaging with people across Norfolk to hear their stories and better understand how we have continually adapted to support young people in an ever-changing world. We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can preserve our heritage while inspiring future generations.”
Community members, former residents, volunteers and staff are encouraged to get involved by sharing their stories and taking part in project activities. If you have a story you’d like to share, please visit 170 Stories for 170 Years – YMCA Norfolk
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Susie Knights at YMCA Norfolk at Susie.knights@ymcanorfolk.org