YMCA Burton celebrates 135 years of work in the local community

Burton charity YMCA Burton is celebrating 135 years of work in the local community this year. Staff and volunteers have planned some events to mark this special occasion and one of them was a heritage walk, curated especially to take in the sites of special interest within the YMCAs history.

The walk, which is around 4 miles in length takes you past sites such as Pirelli stadium – where they hold their Sleepout, and Reconnect, where they have housing for homeless people and where the foodbank is located.

Since its conception over a century ago, the charity has undergone a lot of changes. Originally it was set up to help young people participate in team sports and learn new skills and since evolved to housing the homeless, feeding the community and redistributing furniture and homeware.

During the walk, the group dropped into the Burton shop to visit the staff and volunteers, who have started their 135 fundraiser by cycling 135 miles on an exercise bike, do pop in and show your support the next time you are visiting Burton – they have a collection box if you wish to make a donation.

Elle, Service Development manager at YMCA Burton said: “We have such a long history here in Burton-on-Trent and we thought it was a great way to show how embedded we are in the local community. We want to celebrate all the work we do here and also give people the opportunity to celebrate with us.”

If you are interested in taking part in this walk, check out their website or social media pages for a map and follow in the footsteps of a charity which has many roots in Burton-on-Trent.

Website: https://www.burtonymca.org/latest-news/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burtonymca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ymca_burton/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/burton-upon-trent-and-district-ymca/

About Burton and District YMCA

The YMCA is the largest and oldest youth charity in the world. We believe that all young people deserve to have a safe place to live and the opportunity to reach their full potential. In Burton and the surrounding we are working to:

• Prevent youth homelessness by helping families to resolve conflicts and by sharing with young people the realities of living away from home
• Provide rooms or flats for young people who leave home, giving them the support they need
• Offer temporary emergency rooms for adults of any age who face homelessness, plus support to change their situation
• Provide emergency food for those with none
• Pass on donated furniture and tested electrical goods at remarkably affordable prices throughout Burton, Derby and South Derbyshire
• Encourage tolerance and dialogue between local people from different cultures and faiths

The Burton YMCA’s charity core work and principal activities are to benefit the public and communities through Supported Housing, Outreach, Foodbank, Chaplaincy, Family Mediation, Furniture Re-distribution and Counselling.

More details about Burton upon Trent YMCA can be found at www.burtonymca.org.