Summer Newsletter

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STREET ’S

Birkenhead YMCA is proud to announce the

launch of a new community initiative—

We have decided to do something really positive in our community and cre-

ate “Street Y’s” Each week, for one day a team of Birkenhead YMCA volun-

teers will go out to different locations, streets and open spaces of Wirral

and take part in a programme of tidying up areas to improve the local com-

munity and make it more appealing to visitors.

Recently litter and rubbish have spoiled a number of key attractions on Wir-

ral and in response to rising concerns the BYMCA has decided to expand

the efforts it already makes in the local community and reach out to tackle

some of the more visible signs of our disposable society. Obviously some

jobs will be too large or complex to handle but smaller projects are just

what we want to tackle.

If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or suggest a project we can

help you with in the community please contact Nigel Hughes on 0151 650

1015

Page 2 Summer Newsletter

Birkenhead YMCA history project -

We have been learning about the indus-

trial revolution as part of our life-skills his-

tory at our back door and visited Iron-

bridge Gorge and the Blists Hill Victorian

Town to experience first-hand what life

was like 150 years ago.

A group of BYMCA

residents spent a

day studying the

way the Victorians

lived, visiting their

shops, cottages

and workplaces, looking at the animals

they worked with, even sampling a cone

of traditional Fish and Chips.

On arrival at Blists Hill we were met by the

Visitor Services Team and shown to the

new Visitor Centre where we saw a giant

film show telling the story of the begin-

nings of Industrial Revolution in Iron-

bridge. After this we climbed an impres-

sive spiral staircase – it was a bit like a

time machine because when we got to the

top and went through the exit we came out

on the platform of a Victorian railway station

complete with huge steam locomotive. It

was an amazing introduction to our day at

Blists Hill.

Walking out onto the dusty main road of the

Victorian town we soon saw Lloyds Bank and

a when we went inside it was amazing – it

showed how banks have changed over the

years, with the dark

wood panelling –

heavy steel grilles.

There was so much to

see – around every

corner there seemed

to be yet another different part of Victorian

life displayed—even a real life “Bobby”!

It was one of those days where things you

read and heard about years ago all suddenly

became real and you began to understand it

all a lot more.

Page 3 Summer Newsletter

Images from our recent life-skills his-

tory day at Blists Hill Victorian Mu-

Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge

Page 4

Music Workshops

Summer Newsletter

BYMCA has seen some famous musicians walk

through its doors—the Beatles probably being the

most famous, so when Customer Services Officer

Dave Morton, himself a keen musician wanted to set

up a music workshop, it seemed a great idea and its

popularity has grown and grown with over 20 peo-

ple regularly taking part in activities and learning to

play musical instruments.

Dave feels that music education is a great way to

teach skills and promote values that lead to personal

development, such as self-discipline, dedication,

teamwork, self-confidence and practice. All these

values and the behaviours that demonstrate them are

necessary to be a well-rounded person in all realms

of life.

Although these values are taught through other disci-

plines in various ways, we believe the importance of

learning them through music education is that they

translate into other disciplines naturally.

BYMCA has made a big push in healthy lifestyles and physical fitness in the last 12 months and many customers have embarked on new ways to improve their health. By just making the slightest changes in diet or lifestyle can have big impacts on overall health and fitness. Smoking cessation, guid-ance on alcohol consump-tion and eating healthy food all form part of our in-house training programme. Being fit has many short-term benefits, such as an im-proved sense of well-being, and long-term benefits, such as reducing the risk of suffer-ing many debilitating dis-eases.

Short-term benefits of fit-ness include:- A healthier heart; Healthy muscles, bones, and joints; Increased burning of calo-ries; Better ability to cope with stress; Improved ability to fall asleep and sleep well; Reduced feelings of depres-sion and anxiety; Increased energy; Long-term benefits of fit-ness include reduced risk of:- Dying early; Coronary artery disease; Dying after a heart attack; Developing high blood pres-sure; Developing type 2 diabetes; Developing colon and breast cancer;

Becoming obese;

Stroke.

Page 5

Get Fit — Get Healthy!

Birkenhead YMCA cultural history day – 3rd

August 2012.

Its not every day the Queen comes to Liverpool but on Friday 3rd August the giant Cunard

cruise liner Queen Elizabeth made her first visit to Liverpool which coincided with a group of

BYMCA customers making a visit to the Museum of Liverpool, where they were retracing

much of our local history as part of our life-skills education programme.

The museum houses a unique collection of exhibits which graphically demonstrate the rise of

the city and its dominance in world trade. Amongst the more unusual displays is the Lion – a

steam locomotive built in 1837 and also one of the original Overhead railway carriages in-

stalled high up, as if on the original railway line.

With such a stunning visitor as the Queen Elizabeth moored up at the Pier Head there was

only one way to return back to Birkenhead – across the Mersey on one of the rivers famous

ferryboats the Royal Iris and the chance to get a close up view of the liner.

Today the city of Liverpool is enjoying outstanding growth and massive investment, thanks to

visionary new projects that have opened the gates to a new wave of riverside activity, em-

ployment and opportunity.

Page 7

Birkenhead YMCA cultural history day – 3rd

August 2012.

To use the words of our great friend

and renowned local journalist Peter El-

son “The Liverpool waterfront was the

focal point for countless souls who beat

a pathway to Liverpool once the

world’s greatest mercantile city” –

“Liverpool was a legendary place of

departure and arrival that grew and

grew in importance”.

Much of the cities wealth and develop-

ment centred in and around the busy

docks and some of the world’s greatest

ships sailed in and out of the river –

magnificent ships like Mauretania, Em-

press of Canada, Lusitania, Lancastria

and Reina del Pacifico were once regu-

lar sights in front of the world famous

three graces – The Liver Building, Cu-

nard Building and Port of Liverpool

Building. From the mid 1960’s Liver-

pool’s shipping had begun a sad de-

cline and the big passenger liners

along with many other ships started to

leave - the city went through tough

times. For Liverpool the arrival of the

Queen Elizabeth as a reason to party

and thousands joined the throng at the

Pier Head to celebrate the ships arrival

and enjoys the attractions of the world

class Albert Dock and Pier Head area.

Page 8

Working with our local Community

Summer Newsletter

BYMCA becomes a Duke of Edinburgh Award Centre In June we were delighted to be approved as a Duke of Edinburgh Award

Centre working under the umbrella of Wirral MBC.

This exciting new development will allow us the opportunity to encourage

young people we work with to try other new experiences, discover talents

they never thought they had, challenge themselves and meet other young

people.

Then there’s a raft of other added benefits for participants—

…achieving the Award will give them skills, confidence and a view on life

that everyone is looking for, from employers to colleges and universities.

...they will be getting recognised for doing things they want to do (and may

even be doing already).

...they’ll will make a difference in other people’s lives and our wider Wirral

community, be fitter and healthier, make new friends and hopefully have

happy memories of all they have done.

We aim to bolt the D of E Award into our lifeskills programmes and feel sure

it will make a positive contribution to our work.

Page 9

Jubilee CelebrationsJubilee CelebrationsJubilee CelebrationsJubilee Celebrations————The Big Lunch ProjectThe Big Lunch ProjectThe Big Lunch ProjectThe Big Lunch Project

Thanks to the Big Lunch Project

BYMCA was able to work in

partnership with local radio

station Vintage Radio and cre-

ate a special Jubilee event with

foods and music laid on

throughout the day.

Local neighbours from the sur-

rounding area joined in with

the celebrations to mark Her

Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 60

year reign on the throne—even

the weather managed to stay

dry despite one or two threat-

ening clouds.

Page 10 Summer Newsletter

Birkenhead YMCA took advantage of a new

venture at the Hunter’s Yard in Ludham,

Norfolk which is doing sterling work ensur-

ing its 20 classic mahogany sailing yachts -

14 cabin cruisers and six half-decker’s - are

still turning heads well past this their 80th

birthdays.

The fleet of iconic sailing boats is now

looked after by The Norfolk Heritage Fleet

Trust, which was formed in 1996 to save the

fleet at a time Norfolk County Council was

threatening to sell off what was then its

county sailing base along with all the boats.

Trust Chairman Bryan Reed CBE made a

special visit to meet the YMCA crews and

welcome them to the yard – Mr Reed is no

stranger to the Birkenhead YMCA – as

President of the highly respected Broads

Society (who are the only voluntary organi-

sation who work tirelessly across the whole

Broads community – naturalists, navigators,

fishermen, farmers, residents and visitors

alike) he knows of the in-depth work we de-

liver in supporting people by using boating

for its outstanding diversionary activities

and opportunities to develop real life skills

and community spirit.

In 2010 the Birkenhead YMCA were honored

to receive the Broads Society’s coveted

Lady Mayhew’s Trophy.

Each boat was given a qualified instructor

who took everyone from no knowledge or

basic levels of knowledge right through to

competent sailors.this was no ordinary train-

ing course – this was living history, excite-

ment, team building and realtime learning

all rolled into one! 12 residents took part in

the training course and all passed their RYA

qualification.

Birkenhead YMCA sets sail on a new course!

Page 11

Birkenhead YMCA sets sail on a new course!

Page 12

Personal Development and Confidence Building Day

Summer Newsletter

Earlier this year members of the Wirral Branch of

the Merchant Navy Association were invited to join

BYMCA customers on our tall-ship charter day.

Collectively the eight ex Merchant Navy seafarers

had a combined age of 664 years!

Everyone got on so well that the BYMCA crew

members wanted to invite the retired seafarers

back and cook and serve them a lunch and so the

July meeting of the group was held at the YMCA in

Whetstone Lane, where the Birkenhead Room was

provided free of charge for their meeting followed

by a sumptuous three course lunch afterwards in

the Baden Powell Suite. The whole event was

crowned when the much loved and highly popular

local celebrity Hughie Jones sang a few sea shan-

ties to the assembled ex Blue Funnel Line, Harrison

Line, Clan Line and Cunard Line seafarers.

Page 13

Wirral Merchant Navy Association Luncheon

Newsletter Title

Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 14

Birkenhead YMCA Bell-Ringing Class!

BYMCA customers are never shy

to learn new skills so when an

invite was extended by the Bell

ringers of St Chad’s Church,

Winsford in Cheshire to come

along and have a go, an evening

of good fun and new experi-

ences was destined to take

place.

Thanks to the skills of the Tow-

ers expert tutor Ian Taylor of

Middlewich the lads were given

the chance to learn the rudi-

ments of bell-ringing—which

proved to be not as easy as it

looked!

Page 15 Newsletter Title

BYMCA/Wirral Youth Service host Hong Kong Students

Part of our partnership work during 2012 has to build stronger links with our local Wirral Youth Service teams

and engage young people on the waterways. When BYMCA were approached and asked if they would like to

host a day for the visitors onboard our narrow-boat we were only too pleased to get involved.

Having had one of the wettest summers on record the group were lucky to have one of the sunniest days in July

for their trip. Hong Kong has no canals—however it does boast one of the most impressive waterfronts in the

world and with a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one

of the most densely populated areas in the world so the rural tranquility of the Shropshire Union Canal on a

sunny day in July, made for a relaxing experience for the students all of whom loved their day afloat!

Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 16

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BIRKENHEAD YMCA IS PROUD TO

SUPPORT THE

WIRRAL FOODBANK