LATEST NEWS

YMCA Norfolk has appointed Fiona Stuart as their new Chairperson to lead the charity’s passionate Board of Trustees. 

Fiona joined YMCA Norfolk’s Board of Trustees in 2017 and she is committed to supporting the organisation’s CEO and Executive Team in delivering an exciting strategy and charitable mission through 2023 and beyond. 

Fiona is the first female to take on the role of Chairperson in the 166 years that YMCA Norfolk has been operating. 

“I am delighted to be voted as the first female Chairperson to the Board of Trustees at YMCA Norfolk. It is simply an honour to assist YMCA Norfolk in serving young people across our County”. 

Fiona further commented on her new role “It is a highlight to see young people come alive and thrive with the investment of time, resource and unconditional care. Being a Trustee on the Board for the past 5 years has been humbling and thoroughly rewarding, it genuinely is a privilege to serve alongside the committed staff at YMCA Norfolk”. 

Fiona is also a Partner at Ashtons Legal, leading their Insolvency and Restructuring legal team across East Anglia. 

John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, commented on Fiona’s new appointment: 

“We are blessed to have Fiona serve us in this way and I am thankful for the considerable investment of time she has already made in supporting the work we do. Many of our staff have already met Fiona through her attending our staff days and award ceremonies, and we’re excited for some of our young people to meet her this week as she joins me in serving the resident’s Christmas dinner at our Central youth hostel”. 

YMCA Norfolk would also like to say a huge thank-you to the former Chair, Philip Macdonald, whose term expired this year after an incredible 9 years volunteering as a Trustee. YMCA Norfolk is extremely grateful for his wisdom and service over the years.

Fiona and members of the Board of Trustees will be taking part in YMCA Norfolk’s Sleep Easy on 10 March 2023.  To find out more or register a team please click here.

George King, Life Ready Youth Coach at YMCA Norfolk, was awarded with ‘Young Worker of the Year’ at the YMCA England and Wales Youth Matters 2022 awards on Friday 18 November.

At a ceremony held at the Bloomsbury Big Top, London, George celebrated his win with a crowd of YMCA colleagues from all over the UK, who come together every year to celebrate the achievements of staff and young people across the charity’s national operation.

Shortlisted in the summer, George made the final 3 among a vote of over 14,000 members of the public, and came out on top thanks to his contribution to YMCA Norfolk’s Life Ready project and his gardening, horticulture and wellbeing work in Great Yarmouth.

George commented on his award:

“While I’m really proud to have won the award, I’m also proud of all of my colleagues at YMCA Norfolk and at YMCAs across the country.

“Especially the other two finalists in my category – both who were extremely deserving the award.

“The work that youth coaches do really is saving lives, and it’s a privilege to work for the YMCA and support the amazing young people in Norfolk.”

Alongside working on the garden at St Paul’s Lodge (Great Yarmouth), George was tasked with teaching young people how to plant and grow fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers, in addition to supporting them gain ASDAN qualifications – of which a number of the project’s participants have achieved. 

George regularly reaches out to local nature reserves, garden centres and community projects to arrange educational day trips for young people, boosting their mental wellbeing through spending time in nature and socialising with peers.

George’s nomination read:

‘Over the last year George has gone completely above and beyond to transform the hostel’s garden – which now features a seating area, a greenhouse, an allotment, flower beds, sleepers and a most importantly a peaceful, colourful outdoor space for our young people to enjoy.

YMCA Norfolk staff have seen a huge transformation in the young people he has worked with on the project – many becoming more self-confident and transitioning towards independent living through gaining their own accommodation and employment.  

He is a reliable, trustworthy and inspiring role model for our young people – who always puts their needs first despite living a busy lifestyle as a local sixth form teacher alongside his role with YMCA. He always has a smile on his face and is quick to make those around him smile too.   

George’s passion for seeing young people thrive embodies the values of YMCA, and he is spoken extremely highly of by young people and staff across the organisation. ‘

YMCA Norfolk’s annual celebration and award ceremony returned to the stage on Thursday 17 November – where an audience of 180 joined the charity to celebrate their inspiring young people, clients, staff and volunteers.

Held at the Space, Norwich, the evening was hosted by YMCA Youth Ambassador, Charlie Smith, and included presentations from YMCA Norfolk CEO, John Lee, YMCA Norfolk President, Lord Richard Dannatt GCB, CBE, MC, DL as well as stories from staff members and young people who bravely shared their hope-filled journeys.

Councillors, civics, patrons and trustees heard from housing clients Matthew Webster, Andrew Fountain, Shannon Coleman and Conor Frost, alongside an incredible talk from former E-Learning Service student Jack Parfitt and presentations from youth coaches Jade Crowe, George King and Ruth Vaughan.

The celebration was followed by an uplifting awards ceremony, where winners were announced across 6 categories:

Young Volunteer of the Year

The young volunteer of the year award recognised a dedicated young volunteer who has shown outstanding commitment to the YMCA and their local community. The winner of this award was Bethan Jones, a young volunteer that has offered a lot of free time to YMCA Norfolk’s youth services through running Arts and Crafts at our Catton Grove club and encouraging young people to use their imagination. 

Healthy Living Award

The healthy living award, which recognised a young person who has made positive steps towards improving both their physical and mental wellbeing, was won by Oscar Warren, who’s ‘change in attitude and motivation towards personal health has shown real growth.’ Oscar had previously never eaten vegetables and hated gardening or the idea of growing their own food. He is now known for growing their very own pumpkin, chillies, herbs, spinach, tomatoes, and strawberries, eating lots of fresh food and veg and preparing their own food with the crops they’ve grown.

Tennant of the Year

The Tennant of the Year award recognised a tenant who is involved in all aspects of their home and community. The judges were looking for an individual who makes a real difference in their community.  Charlotte Clare was awarded Tennant of the Year 2022 – praised for her huge transformation and growth throughout her time with YMCA Norfolk. Charlotte is now in the process of a positive move on, after finding coping mechanisms to better manage her mental health independently. 

Inspiration Award

The Inspiration Award celebrated an individual who has inspired others in a number of ways, and has a huge impact on their community, peers, and YMCA staff. The winner of this award was Umbrella Housing Client, Tabitha Nathan, who has overcome a number of challenges to build a brighter future for her 3 children. Tabitha was praised for her “upbeat vibe and ability to always show compassion to others. Throughout her stay at YMCA Norfolk, she has been a model tenant and an inspiration to all.”

Community Champion Award

Mark Devany was announced as YMCA Norfolk’s 2022 Community Champion, after providing the charity with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their commitment to young people and their wellbeing. Mark approached YMCA Norfolk to carry out a community youth mental health pilot, which led to 223 young people receiving support who would have otherwise continued to experience escalation or concern or have remained on a wait list. .  A further 275 young people will now be supported through further work that the pilot enabled YMCA Norfolk to secure.

Richard Jarrod Achievement Award

Richard was a committed and passionate believer in young people who served YMCA Norfolk in various roles over more than 50 years. In his memory, this award recognises a young person or family who have overcome challenges in their lives to achieve something of great significance in their efforts to reach their full potential. Russell Vincent was announced the winner of the award, presented by Richard’s daughter, Caroline Jarrold.

John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, commented on the evening: “It was great to have our annual celebration return after a long 3 year break due to the pandemic – and what an incredible comeback! It was clear that the celebration and awards ceremony left attendees feeling both inspired and proud to be a supporter of YMCA Norfolk.

“Each and every nominee and winner should be extremely proud of themselves. Reading their nominations was extremely moving, and highlighted the importance of celebrating the achievements of our amazing young people.”

Wellbeing Matters, part of YMCA Norfolk, was established in 2021 as a vital youth mental health service with the aim of tackling the county’s mental health crisis among children and young people. 

In the last year alone, none of the 242 young people referred to the Wellbeing Matters service have required further referral to the Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS), of which costs the NHS an average of £2,338 per referral (Source: Children’s Commissioner briefing).

The reduction in referrals attributed to the Wellbeing Matters service has alleviated waiting times for NHS services across Norfolk, the county with the second highest spend per child for mental health in the country as of 2022 (Source: Children’s Commissioner briefing).

The range of therapeutic services offered have been praised by parents to have “truly made a difference” to their children, as the team continue to build relationships with schools and mental health providers across Norfolk. 

Our therapeutic staff approach the service with a holistic view, taking into account every aspect of a young person’s wellbeing; school, home, family relationships, friendships and beyond – to fully understand what it is that is impacting their mental wellbeing. 

Esther, project lead within YMCA Norfolk for Wellbeing Matters, commented on the success of the project: 

“I think the way in which we approach our delivery is one of the many reasons for the service’s success. We have worked in a person-centred, therapeutic way to engage our young people in a safe and empathic relationship which focuses on providing sessions where above all they feel comfortable to talk, whether it be outside on a positive activity, in school or at home.

“Being flexible in our approach means that we are allowing the young person to develop their sense of self and become aware of what they need, which is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of each young person and child we work with.”

A combination of the pandemic’s increased demand on all health services and cuts in government funding have left the largest disparity between waiting lists and the demand for mental health services in recent years (source: Local Government Association and the Children’s Commissioner).

As reported by the Local Government Association, 75% of young people experiencing a mental health problem are currently forced to wait so long that their condition worsens or are unable to access any services at all. 

Issy White, an NHS Specialist Community Public Health Nurse for South Norfolk, commented:

“It is no secret that the NHS is currently struggling beyond belief to meet the extreme level of need for mental health support, despite the best efforts of healthcare professionals. This need is due to an array of reasons, but most notably a lack of funding for mental health services.”

Issy believes that charities such as YMCA Norfolk help to bridge the gap between young people in crisis and GP wait lists, providing ‘an extremely valuable and responsible service.’

She added:

“Teams such as (YMCA Norfolk’s) Wellbeing Matters service are working tirelessly to support young people develop the skills and resilience they need to go on to reach their full potential in life. 

“I am personally so grateful that charities such as YMCA Norfolk exist to help fight the mental health crisis and to reassure young people that they do not have to suffer in silence.” 

The Wellbeing Matters service has hugely reduced a financial strain on the NHS, saving an estimated £565,796 so far this year through not having to refer a single young person to CAMHS after engaging with the charity’s therapeutic staff team.

By the end of March 2023, the service is set to support 500 young people in a mental health crisis, potentially doubling the vital relief supplied to CAMHS in Norfolk to a value of over £1 million in specialist referrals alone.

Mark Deveney of the South Norfolk and Broadland Councils, who was part of the Wellbeing Matters commissioning process, said:

“The (wellbeing matters) service is impressive in terms of their capacity to accept referrals, the speed of response and the adaptability of intervention to deliver a genuinely holistic service to young people tailored to their needs.

“Feedback from referring professionals in the Help Hub, schools and colleges and parents has been unfailingly positive. Children and young people have clearly benefited from engagement with the service and lives have been changed through the work undertaken. 

“I would have no hesitation in recommending this service to any prospective commissioner.” 

We’re looking to recruit two new directors to work alongside our exec team and CEO, enabling further growth across our housing, early years and communities provisions.

The positions include two new roles – Housing Director and Early Years and Communities Director, both presenting an opportunity to build on YMCA Norfolk’s strong foundations across its range of services, while meeting the needs of the young people and families we work with.

John Lee, YMCA Norfolk CEO, said: “These are areas of work are vital to our mission. As the level of need in Norfolk increases, we are seeking to increase the amount of support we can offer.
 
“It is an exciting time at YMCA Norfolk – we have significant opportunities ahead of us. We are looking for people who can bring their experience and passion to help us expand our Housing, Early Years and Communities team work. The successful applicants will join at a time as we start to create a new organisational strategy.
 
“If you a servant hearted individual, committed to your Christian faith and passionate about creating environments where young people can truly belong, contribute and thrive, then we would love to hear from you.”

Please click here for further information about the Director of Housing and here for further information about the Director of Early Years and Communities.