A YMCA Member’s Reminiscence
“I first experienced a YMCA warden when I left school and joined the Ministry of Defence as a Student Apprentice working on Radar in Malvern, Worcestershire in 1960. The students were housed in a Government Hostel run by a YMCA warden.
One hundred and fifty 18-23-year-old young men were very well controlled and educated in all domestic responsibilities of household chores. We also experienced all the extracurricular pleasures of soccer, rugby, athletics, snooker, darts, table tennis etc. which were highly organised by YMCA staff.
The soccer especially was a thriving activity as the YMCA warden was a Nottingham Forrest Scout! We entered all the local YMCA leagues, and some of us (me included) were selected for a match against a Welsh YMCA team in 1963 before it was cancelled due to a severe Winter. We were however given a token medal (see picture).
I returned to the North East in 1966 to work in the North Shields where I soon found myself joining the North Shields YMCA soccer team where I played for 2 years (see picture below). I obtained a job in Ashington in 1969 so left YMCA. However, I kept in touch with my teammates and began playing again for a couple more years.
In 1995 I encountered an old teammate in North Shields who encouraged me to come back and do some training at YMCA Gym (we used to train in the basement), and I’ve kept up the twice-a-week training ever since!
I’ve always lived in Holywell, but I’ve seen YMCA Gym’s facilities continuously improve where I feel they are now the best in the region! The mission statement is to be ‘Happy, Healthy and Connected’ and is indicative of the wonderful atmosphere promoted by the staff and members, not to mention the consideration and respect given to we Senior Citizens!
Here’s hoping to ‘Staying Alive’ for many more years to come.”
An 82-year-old eternally grateful YMCA Gym member.
Run Panda, Run!
The Great North Run is an amazing fun-packed event that takes the North East by storm every year! People travel nationally and internationally to take part in the 13.1 mile race, work up a sweat and raise money for their chosen charities. This year, six of our YMCA...
Don’t come to the YMCA Gym alone…
We are so excited that the work has begun for our gym refurbishment due for completion by January 2016 we want the world to know about it! So here's an offer that we hope will make you want to share the YMCA love with your friends and relatives, and generally anyone...
Hope and Hard hats for the New Year
Walking in through Reception, the once busy hub at the centre of our YMCA is currently boarded up, looking bleak and inundated with workman in hard hats and high Vis jackets. However, it’s for a very exciting reason… “It’s about enabling a community that helps people...
YMCA Gym Aerobathon 2015
Fancy doing four hours of exercise in one afternoon? Nope, me either! However, nearly 30 very brave men, women and children took up the challenge and took part in YMCA Gym’s 9th Annual Aerobathon to raise money for charity! The day was a huge success and with combined...
YMCA Gym Community Christmas Feast
Christmas can be a very lonely time for many people, especially the elderly who may have lost partners or are unable to travel to visit their family. YMCA Gym wanted to change this and so every year our YMCA Gym team swap their usual gym attire for their best...
Turn a Night out into a Workout!
Our Clubbercise class is an easy to follow dance workout using flashing glow sticks set to a soundtrack of uplifting club anthems. Bring your dad dancing moves and your Miley Cyrus twerks and join us on the YMCA Gym Dance Floor every Thursday night! Clubbercise class...