Double success for YMCA Norfolk in youth awards 

YMCA Norfolk has today (August 24) been named as a finalist in the national Youth Matters Awards in the YMCA of the Year category and in the Best Family Work Project of the Year category.

Over 10,000 public votes were cast to find the finalists who will find out the results at the Awards which take place in London on Friday November 2.

The prestigious YMCA of the Year Award recognises the “hard work and unfaltering dedication” to improving lives in the local community and YMCA Norfolk are nominated alongside YMCA Burton and YMCA East Surrey.

Meanwhile, YMCA Norfolk’s work with families going through difficult times has been recognised with a nomination for YMCA Family Work Project of the year. Staff provide a large range of services to match the varied needs of local families, including mediation for when communication has broken down between family members. Although their main focus is always the safety of children involved, they work with whole families to tackle everything from employment, mental health and substance abuse.

Reacting to news of the success, YMCA Norfolk Business Development Director, Jason Beattie, said: “I am delighted that the hard work of our staff and volunteers and their dedication to young people and families in Norfolk is being recognised at a national level. I would like to thank all those local people took the time to vote for us.”

In addition, volunteer Jamie Copping was a semi-finalist in the volunteer of the Year category.

A former YMCA resident in Great Yarmouth, Jamie is about to become a fully qualified archery instructor thanks to YMCA’s work with outdoor adventure company Ascend Adventure. He also volunteers with the YMCA garden project, visited Kenya with a group from Norfolk and represented it at a national conference in July.

In the past year 2,047 local people have been supported by YMCA Norfolk, including the homeless and children at risk of being taken into care.

Pictured above is the YMCA Norfolk Families Team.