Everyone should have a fair chance to discover who they are and what they can become. YMCA believes in fairness and opportunity. There are essential building blocks for a full and rewarding life: a safe home; acceptance; guidance; friendship; physical and mental health; academic support; employment skills; and access to real opportunities. Many young people…
Sensory play is any activity that stimulates at least one of your child’s senses. This could be hearing, sight, touch, smell or taste. It also includes play that involves movement or balance. Why not visit our newly refurbished sensory play room at the Pod softplay, YMCA Hawker. Full details and booking links can be found…
Loneliness is different from being alone or being on your own. Loneliness may happen when you’re surrounded by people. So what is loneliness. Loneliness is, “the difference between your desired levels of social contact and your actual levels of social contact”. So it’s not just about being with people, it’s about how you connect with... 
After 10 years under the guardianship of YMCA St Paul’s Group, Merton Winter Night Shelter (MWNS) has merged with local registered charity Faith in Action Merton Homelessness Project (FiA). FiA’s Trustees will assume overall responsibility for the Night Shelter, with its day-to-day operation of providing emergency shelter for street sleepers during the coldest winter months…
Are you feeling stressed? It’s likely that at some point in your life you will feel stressed, it’s a natural reaction when life feels difficult or overwhelming. This may be brought about because of work or lack of work, something that’s happening in your personal life or what’s happening in the world right now. Some... 
YMCA St Paul’s Group is delighted to hear the news that the Government has acknowledged that changes are urgently required within the Exempt Accommodation sector. As a provider of high-quality Exempt Accommodation, we are strong advocates for making sure providers are ensuring that their buildings are safe, secure, and well maintained, and that the care…
YMCAs across England and Wales are uniting to raise vital funds on behalf of YMCA Europe to ensure our colleagues can continue to help those impacted by the crisis in Ukraine. Please donate at: ymca.org.uk/Ukraine In addition to providing humanitarian aid, YMCAs in neighboring counties such as Romania, Moldova and Czech Republic are collecting Ukrainian... 
A new type of group exercise class has launched at YMCA St Paul’s Group, at its YMCA Surbiton, YMCA Hawker (Kingston), YMCA Wimbledon and YMCA Walthamstow sites. The hugely successful This Girl Can campaign created by Sport England have partnered with EMD UK to create This Girl Can Classes with the aim of supporting more... 
At YMCA St Paul’s Group we believe that those who call the YMCA home should be given the best opportunity to thrive. To that end, over the last few months, we have sought to contribute to a number of government reviews into the quality and regulation of Supported Housing. The YMCA has been involved in…
Devalued by a decade of cuts, dramatic fall in spend per head and a debilitating postcode lottery: the latest picture of youth service funding Research released today by YMCA England and Wales 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…
