YMCA Bournemouth has released new figures showing the scale of its work between April last year and March this year, with services reaching thousands of people across the BCP area and wider Dorset.
The charity supported 114 people in safe housing at any one time, while also delivering more than 2,200 counselling sessions, over 500 chaplaincy sessions and 120 community events aimed at supporting mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Across its work with families, 101 households and 265 children received targeted support, while its contact centres enabled more than 1,600 hours of safe contact time between children and separated parents.
Early years education continued at YMCA Bournemouth, with 83 children benefiting from over 29,000 hours of provision. Programmes for young people also delivered more than 500 hours of support for children with disabilities, as well as regular activities for five to fifteen-year-olds.
Health and wellbeing services ran throughout the year. More than 1,250 children learned to swim at YMCA-managed centres, and local residents attended more than 74,000 youth and adult fitness sessions combined. YMCA also supported over 800 children’s birthday parties at its venues.
Its training and qualifications programme saw over 440 people complete courses such as first aid and lifeguarding, giving individuals practical skills to benefit their lives and the wider community.
More than 1,000 people also took time to rest and reflect at the charity’s Sandyholme retreat centre, which welcomed more than 30 community groups.
The organisation credits its work to the dedication of local staff and volunteers, who contributed over 4,000 hours of service each week.
YMCA Bournemouth’s CEO, Dr Gareth Sherwood, said the charity supports over five per cent of the local population annually and is focused on making a real difference through everyday care, compassion and support.