YMCA Wirral presented with the Borough’s highest honour
YMCA Wirral received the Council's highest honour on Tuesday evening (18 February) – the Honorary Freedom of the Borough – at a special reception in Wallasey town hall.
Formerly called Birkenhead YMCA, the charity has been supporting residents, as well as those passing through the area, since 1874.
The Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Cherry Povall JP, said:
Our YMCA has been supporting, nurturing, and providing a safe haven for countless people for more than 150 years. I, like the whole Council, am genuinely grateful for all they have done and continue to do.
YMCA Wirral is currently one of 83 in England and Wales, providing accommodation, training and homes to people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, as well as the support, information, advice, and employability training they need. They also motivate and encourage service users to adopt and embrace a better lifestyle that will lead to positive futures, and hopefully futures with new and exciting prospects.
Their current building currently on Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead, offers 86 bedspaces, and up to 20 overnight emergency sit-up places during extreme weather. In 2023, the charity supported 689 individuals.
Their multi-disciplinary team provides a 24-hour wrap-around services to everyone aged 18 years and upwards. This includes people who are homeless or facing street homelessness.
During periods of cold or extreme weather, YMCA Wirral opens its doors to anyone in need of a warm or safe and secure place to stay.
Another crucial service they provide is with probation teams and the Council to provide short and long-term supported accommodation for people leaving prison – giving them a new start and helping them to re-engage with society, rehabilitate, and break the cycle of offending.
They also work with local agencies to support people discharged from hospital without suitable accommodation to recuperate.
On the 7 October 2024, Wirral Council held an extraordinary meeting, where, with the full support of everyone present, it agreed to bestow the Honorary Freedom of the Borough to YMCA Wirral for their eminent service to the Borough and the people of Wirral.
Under the Local Government Act 1972, Wirral Council has the power to grant the title of Honorary Freeman or Freewoman of the Borough to persons of distinction who have rendered eminent Service to the Borough.
Just 17 other individuals, organisations or groups have been given Freedom of the Borough in the 50 years that Wirral Council has been established.
About YMCA
The YMCA movement began in London on 6 June 1844 when a 22 year-old draper called George Williams, along with 11 friends, organised a bible and study group to provide a refuge for young men seeking to escape the hazards of daily life on the streets of London. Their meetings became very popular, and a year later, branches were established in Birkenhead and across the country and world in the years that followed.
Today, YMCA serves more than 65 million people in 120 countries regardless of age, race, gender, ability, sexual orientation or background.
