We have had a busy and creative December here at YMCA Basingstoke!
We have continued rolling our usual programmes to residents throughout the month as well as lots of other fun festive activities to get us in the Christmas spirit. The residents have helped us decorate the building and have decorated the Christmas tree beautifully!
This year has been a difficult year for many and so we wanted to help our young people give something extra special to their families and friends for Christmas. They have been hard at work making beautiful salt crystal wine bottles, getting intricate with painting wine glasses and creating fun designs on mugs and other china pieces. They have created lovely hot chocolate sets using the mugs and saucers they decorated as well creating designs in wood and leather burning. They have also made lovely soaps to gift and to use.
China painting
Crystal wine bottle making
Hot chocolate sets
Wine bottles with fairy lights
Wine glass painting
Crystal wine bottles
“I liked it all. I made a mug and plate for my son with Lightning Mcqueen on. The wood burning was good and the painting was also good and looks pretty cool”-Resident
“I did the crystal wine bottles and the wine glass painting as well as other crafty things. I have really enjoyed it, it is very therapeutic”- Lauren
Residents have worked hard wrapping their presents to give as gifts to their loved ones.
They have also helped make decorations for the building including paper snowflakes, salt dough tree decorations and even home-made wreaths where residents went on foraging walks to collect woodland goods.
As well as present making the residents helped us hand make 75+ Christmas cards for other YMCA groups and staff members within YMCA Fairthorne Group.
Every year the residents have a Christmas party. This year the Christmas party was slightly different due to covid-19 restrictions. Despite this staff did their utmost to pull of a festive and fun party for all the residents to enjoy. A more relaxed party where residents choose their tables and had table service provided through 3 different sittings throughout the day.
A 3-course meal was provided which went down very will with all the staff and residents. A big thank you to our chefs Gina and Toni-Lea who worked their socks off in the kitchen! Big compliments to the chefs as one resident even said it was better than Toby Carvery…. and he used to be a chef for Toby Carvery!
“It was great!”- Lee
The staff worked hard to transform the room into a magical winter wonderland. See the pictures below to see how the usual tenants lounge was transformed into Santa’s Grotto! A big well done to the staffs efforts.
“The Christmas Party was nice. There was a lot of effort put into it. Thank you to the staff as they have done so much throughout lockdown”- Maisie
Staff enjoying their Christmas dinner
Christmassy decorated tables
Our own winter wonderland
Videos and images played of the year
Bucks Fizz on arrival
Another beautiful tree
Throughout the day residents were kept entertained with a variety of games. After a Bucks Fizz on arrival residents played a game of heads and tails. There was a Christmas bingo where residents got the chance to win a dip in the lucky dip, followed by a Christmas quiz. At the end of each sitting residents were given a certificate and their Christmas boxes. At the end of all 3 sittings a big scavenger hunt was held where lots of prizes such as electric cards, dry and wash tokens, sweets etc were up for winning.
“I loved with Christmas party, I thought it was really fun”- Charlotte
The residents enjoyed how chilled the day was.
“It was good. It was actually really nice this year, it was relaxed and it’s been nice to sit and do Christmas bits and social things” -Annelouise
“It was very interesting, different but good different. It was nice to be in a small group rather than a big group and it was nice to be able to talk to people”. -Mandy
All the staff and residents would like to say a massive thank you to Basingstoke Foodbank and St Mary’s Church who have provided Christmas boxes full of goodies to all our residents, which were given out during the Christmas party.
Resident Christmas boxes and lucky dip
We would also like to say a big thank you to Rapid Relief Team for the food boxes they donated.
Also a massive thank you to The Hygiene Bank for providing packages full of Hygiene products for every resident!
We wish all of our residents, partners, other YMCA Fairthorne groups and staff a very merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year. Thank you so much for all the support we have received during a difficult year. Here is to a better 2021. We look forward to seeing you all and working with you more in the New Year. Stay safe.
In June I attended one of the most surreal yet important events in my life. When you think of a BLM protest, I imagine you think of mobs of angry black men & women, causing violence and destruction against white people and their neighbourhoods. In some ways you would be right, but wrong in so many more.
This protest was organised by young teens, of which a large majority were white. Despite their youth, they were knowledgable, supportive and most importantly they were listening. They gave the people of the black community a platform to talk, shout and cry. They gave us a platform to express what racism means to us, how we have been affected and what we need from society to progress forward. I felt such a huge amount of pride and love throughout everyone involved despite this being an event that represents centuries of oppression, discrimination and pure undeniable hatred. To think there are people who would argue the rights of people like myself, or my family sickens me to my very stomach. To know that people out there that would fight to erase our existence terrifies me. And yet people ask “but what about all lives?” A question which I understand yet makes me laugh. That very question illustrates the entire issue at hand.
George Floyds murder signified the oppression we face from the white man. That a police officer would rather kneel on a mans neck for almost 9 minutes, killing him, rather than correctly perform his job as a guardian just because of the colour of his skin. Because we are seen as violent, poor, uneducated thugs. Because you want us to be anything other than your equal. Whole neighbourhoods were created to house poor black families, which became slums after the introduction of drugs and the reduction of local schools and jobs. We have been moulded and beaten into these convenient stereotypes for your disposal, treated like animals just for our darker skin tone.
But yet you steal our culture? Our words, our cuisine. You take our hair and our features and you cherry pick your fancy to discard the rest because it doesn’t fit your agenda. You ridicule us for our “crazy hair” and our “loud voices” but coo over your mixed race children like trophies. You cannot steal our culture but kill the people. You cannot have that which for so many years you have sought to destroy.
Racism to me is more than just the n-word. It’s the mockery of black men and women. The difference in white vs black murders involving police. The slurs. The ignorance. It’s pussyfooting around the issue, handing out tokenistic sentiments thinking that it erases the issue. You are the issue. Your mindset is the issue. The very belief that I am any less than you because of my skin is the issue.
We want YMCA Basingstoke to be a real community that works for us all and reflects the passions and ideas of residents. While we may not be able to do every project that we’d like to, the projects we are doing should be ones that the resident community want to see and take part in. There are many ways you can start the process, from having your say in surveys and Fight for Your Right, to chatting with us about what you would like to do. We will be putting out a suggestion box soon and you can always email or message us through facebook.
Things to remember:
Project ideas need to be feasible – if you want a new pool table you need to come up with a fundraising idea too!
They can be as small or ambitious as you like.
We will support you in putting together a plan and facilitating the project.
If you have an idea you will need to see it through, half finished projects won’t help anyone and will stop any new projects from starting.
We obviously can’t do anything that will be negative for someone else, everyone must benefit or at least not be affected by it.
We would also like to put together a fundraising/project committee; a group of residents who will be in charge of putting together ideas and proposals, running projects and events, finding out what other residents want and being a voice for them and generally working with residents and staff to get projects and fundraising going. If you would be interested in a role like this please let us know.
We are aiming to run a big fundraising event once lockdown is over so if you have any ideas for something you would like to do please tell us!
Over the next week or so we will be asking any tenants who are interested to come and have a conversation about their experience during Covid 19 in groups of around 4 people. This will be used by the charity to explore tenant experiences, get feedback and in fundraising for future community and organisational projects. Like many charities this organisation has been hit hard during Covid 19 and we can help to secure emergency funding in order to continue to support communities.
Rather than staff or the fundraising team describing what we think it has been like, we want to hear directly from you. We have a few starter questions but really we just want to hear what you have to say. The whole process will be entirely anonymous and before anything goes out we will have it available for you to see and give further feedback on so we can all be sure it is truly representative. Obviously not everyone has had the same experience so to make sure your voice is heard please join one of the groups and have your say.
This will also come under our Superhero program, which is all about contributing to the community through fundraising and more. So by taking part you will be actively engaging in one of our programmes simply by telling us how you feel!
We have spoken to two personal trainers to get the best tips and advice on how to stay fit and healthy, especially during this strange time with country being put on lockdown. Find it hard to find the motivation to exercise? These tips are what you need to get up and moving, exercising your body and mind!
A huge thank you to @bfitbethany_ and @boundarylakespt for taking the time to answer some important questions on physical and mental health and staying healthy.
@bfitbethany_ has vey kindly offered our residents and other people in the community spaces on her personal training app which includes many varied at home-workouts for 12 weeks, with a new daily exercise launching live each day. The app is personal for your own progression so if you would like to get involved and set up an account, contact @bfitbethany_ (see her contact details at the end of the post) with your name and email or contact us with your details to pass on!
What are your top tips to staying healthy, particularly in this situation?
I would say to keep moving, it is very easy to get in a slump and stay in your pyjamas all day. Get out of bed, get changed and go get some fresh air whether that be in your garden or for a walk!! @boundarylakespt
What are the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle?
If you’re leading a healthy lifestyle you’ll most likely feel like you have a positive state of mind. Exercise helps with stress and being healthier will help you lead a more pro active lifestyle. @boundarylakespt
How can exercise benefit your mental health as well as your physical health?
People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives.
And it’s also powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better. @bfitbethany_
What suggestions would you recommend for getting motivated to work out?
At this difficult time when we all must remain indoors, it’s more important than ever to make sure we are still remaining active for both our physical and mental health.
Earlier I demonstrated the importance of exercise on mental health and this I supported through feedback from my clients confirming just how much my workouts or just keeping active during the day has helped them at the minute. It’s great to keep connections with your friends and family as it’s something you can all do together, whilst adding the additional benefits of perhaps loosing a bit of weight or toning up.
The best way to keeping motivated is to set a goal. Be realistic and specific about what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it. Then set smaller goals (almost like on a to do list) to add up to achieving the big goal. For example, I will make sure that every day I’ll do one of the At Home workouts from my challenge so that by the end of the week I have taken a successful step towards loosing some weight, which is my 6 week goal. @bfitbethany_ (See above for information on how to get involved with the at home workouts!)
What advice would you give for healthy eating?
I always like to use a calorie tracker, you can set yourself calorie and macro nutrient goals to keep you in track. If you’re unsure how to work these out there is plenty of information online or you can ask me. @boundarylakespt
What are the top at home exercises you would recommend for our ladies?
Some great home exercises for ladies can include ones to cover the whole body, here are my top 5:
1. Squats – This exercise is great for the quads (thigh muscles), glutes and hamstrings. However it’s also a great fat burner and can really activate your core.
2. Tricep Dips – This is the one to kill off those bingo wings! Hitting the backs of the arms and the underneath!
3. Glute Bridge – You’ll have a backside like Beyoncé with this one! Great firing up those core and Glute muscle fibres.
4. Plank – A top core exercise targeting the full group of ab muscles.
5. Lunges – Hitting that Lower body including the glutes but also working the abs by using balance and co ordination.
I’m also running an at Home Challenge including loads of workouts covering these exercises and more! (See at the top of the page for more info how to get involved!!).
What are the top at home exercises you would recommend for men?
While you may not have access to normal gym equipment, focus on body weight exercises like press ups, high intensity exercises like burpees or core exercises like crunches. You’ll probably find once we are back out of lockdown that your stability joints would’ve become a lot stronger. @boundarylakespt
What advice would you give to beginners new to exercise and what are the best exercises to start with?
There are many exercises that you can do at home where you can start from the bottom and progress up.
For example a press up you can start with doing knee press ups (taking the same form of a press up but resting your knees against the floor) and once your muscles develop you can then start progressing to a full press up.
A good leg exercise which will help develop your leg muscles is a squat. If you start with putting your right hand on your left shoulder then your left hand on your right shoulder, get a chair and sit back onto it then get back up without using your arms and hands to assist. This will help develop your leg muscles and will help your muscles develop the right form for a squat. @boundarylakespt
Why not give these exercises a go!
Some of the exercises that have been recommended above are exercises that we have implemented into our exercise programmes. Here at YMCA Basingstoke, we are releasing weekly exercise programmes including all-over body workouts, core, yoga, zumba, HIIT workouts and more, along with videos of how to complete the exercises!
This is our community cookbook which we hope to build up with easy-bake recipes that anyone can try at home! We are looking for residents and anyone in the community to send us recipes along with photos of bakes made to share creative ideas with others.
Never tried baking or had the time? Now is a great time to learn and share your recipes with us!
Easy recipes that include basic ingredients and that can be adaptable to whatever people have in their cupboards would be ideal concerning the current situation.
Recipe sent in from a Resident at YMCA Basingstoke, made for other residents and staff.
Recipe adapted from https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/banana-muffins.
Ingredients–
200g self raising flour
1 teaspoon basking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1120g caster sugar
60ml oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 large ripe bananas
50g pecans
Step 1. Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/gas 5 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases
Step 2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and caster sugar with a big pinch of salt.
Step 3. In a separate bowl mix the oil, vanilla extract, eggs and mashed bananas.
Step 4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in and roughly mix together with a fork, being careful not to over-mix.
Step 5. Scatter in the chopped pecans, if using, then spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.
Step 6. Top with pecan halves, then bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Recipe sent in from Lauren, a first year student studying business at Bristol University. Lauren enjoys baking in her spare time and has shared the cookie recipe she enjoys making. She has also sent in a butter base biscoff cheesecake recipe down below!
Ingredients– Makes 12-15 cookies
227g butter
330g brown sugar
385g plain flour
1 egg and 1 yolk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon of salt
250g chocolate chips (or as much as you want)
Milk (if needed)
Step 1. Turn your oven onto 180 C and cover and grease the lining of your cookie tins with grease proof paper and butter.
Step 2. Melt the butter until liquid and mix with the brown sugar in a bowl (if sugar is lumpy, use a sieve). Leave to stand for 5 mins.
Step 3. Wisk the egg and egg yolk in a separate dish and add to the butter sugar mixture. Add vanilla extract.
Step 4. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. IF not enough liquid, add just enough milk so ingredients are mixed properly. Want quite a firm dough. Stir in chocolate chips evenly.
Step 5. Evenly scoop the cookie mix onto the baking tray 2 inches apart.
Bake for 7-10 minutes or until edges are firm and middle is still soft and slightly under-baked. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Recipe sent in from @boundarylakespt, a personal trainer who also provides golf specific personal training, nutritional advice and plans.
Recipe was adapted from https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/729662/recipe/blueberry-muffins.
Ingredients– Makes 12 muffins
300g self-raising flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
50g butter
90g caster sugar
2 large eggs
225ml milk
150g blueberries
150g white chocolate chips
150ml plain yogurt
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
Step 1. Preheat the oven and put the muffin cases in the muffin tray, sprayed with a bit of oil. Put the caster sugar into a bowl and crack the eggs and mix together.
Step 2. Beat the eggs into the mixture until the mixture is smooth and add the butter and mix until smooth.
Step 3. Add the milk, yogurt and the vanilla paste and mix it in with the mixture.
Step 4. Sieve the flour into the mixture and the baking powder.
Step 5. Add the blueberries and chocolate chips (or any other ingredients you want to add!). Bake for 20 minutes (or until ready).
YMCA Basingstoke Youth Engagement Co-ordinator Cara, recreated this recipe for her household who have different allergies.
Recipe was adapted from https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-vanilla-cupcakes-strawberry-vanilla-frosting/ and the buttercream icing was creating using https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/basicbuttericing_73263 recipe.
Ingredients– Makes 12 cupcakes
For the Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes:
220g Self-raising flour
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
240ml lactose-free milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla paste
80ml olive oil
Any Easter themed decorations you can find e.g. vegan Easter eggs,
Buttercream icing
140g softened dairy-free butter
280g icing sugar
1 teaspoon of lactose-free milk
For the Gluten free cupcakes:
220g gluten free self-raising flour
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
240ml milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla paste
80ml olive oil
Any Easter themed decorations you can find e.g. Gluten free chocolate eggs
Buttercream icing
140g softened butter
280g icing sugar
1 teaspoon of milk
Alternatively to make vegan and gluten free cupcakes use the dairy free and gluten free ingredients.
Step 1. Preheat your oven and put cupcakes cases into a muffin tray. Spray them with olive oil so they don’t stick. Then add all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Sieve the flour and add the caster sugar, baking powder and salt.
Step 2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. (Milk, vanilla paste and olive oil).
Step 3. Mix it altogether until all the lumps are gone and distribute equally into the cupcake cases and put them in the oven for 20 minutes (or until cooked).
Step 4. Whilst the cakes are in the oven, make the buttercream icing by mixing the ingredients together. Let the cakes cool when they are out of the oven before topping with the buttercream icing. Then decorate as you like!
Charlie, a year 9 student made this recipe in school and has recreated it at home since
Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
5 tbsp lemon juice
85g caster sugar
1. Heat oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4.
2. Beat together 225g softened unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy then add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly missing through
3. Sift in 225g self-raising flour, then add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and mix until well combined.
4. Line a loaf tin (8x21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
5. Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
6. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and 85g caster sugar to make the drizzle.
7. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle- the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.
8. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve.
Lauren, a student sent this recipe in as well as the chocolate chip recipe above.
Ingredients:
250g Biscoff biscuits
100g butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
600g full fat soft cheese
100g icing sugar
284ml pot of double cream
Tub of biscoff spread
Step 1. Butter and line a 23cm loosed bottomed tin with baking parchment
Step 2. Put the biscuits in a food back and crush with a rolling pin until fine. Melt the butter and add the biscuits and butter to a bowl, while mixing until completely coated.
Step 3. Pour the mixture in the tin and leave to chill in the fridge for an hour.
Step 4. For the filling, add the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour in the double cream and around 1/3 and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined.
Step 5. Put around 1/3 (add as much as you think) of the Biscoff spread in a bowl, melt, then fold into the mixture.
Step 6. Spoon the mixture onto the base evenly and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Step 7. Finally once it has set, be creative with the design! You can melt any extra Biscoff spread to add to the top and finish with whole biscuits or biscuit crumbs.
Dawn sent this recipe in as she has an allergy to eggs and likes to try new vegan baking recipes. The original recipe is to create a loaf cake however Dawn turned them into cupcakes instead.
Recipe adapted from https://heavenlyveganbaking.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/vegan-golden-syrup-cake/
Ingredients:
100g margarine
75g sugar
200g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
150g golden syrup
150ml boiling water
1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper or margarine.
3. Beat together the margarine and sugar until it is mixed together. Once it is mixed add the golden syrup in slowly.
4. Using a sieve, add the flour, baking powder and mix it altogether.
5. Add the boiling water.
6. Put in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes and leave to cool on a rack once baked.
Cara, one of the Youth Engagement Co-ordinators here at Basingstoke made these cookies, adapted from Tanya Bakes, a cookbook by Tanya Burr. Lauren a student has since made these cookies and agreed they are delicious and gooey!
Ingredients:
200g dairy free butter
300g caster sugar
1 egg
dash of dairy free milk
275g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
75g cocoa powder
white chocolate buttons and Cadbury milk chocolate (any chocolate of your choice)
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
Step 2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl.
Step 3. Add the caster sugar.
Step 4. Add the butter which should be slightly softened.
Step 5. Sieve the cocoa powder and mix everything together.
Step 6. Add the egg and mix. Add the chocolate of your choice and mix.
Step 7. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper (or two depending on size) and put the mixture into even circles on the tray, leaving enough room for them to expand.
Step 8. Put into the oven for 11 minutes. They should be slightly crisp on the top and bottom but still gooey on the inside. Let them cool before eating!
Tip: The following days warm them up in the microwave for 5 seconds for a gooey centre.
Step2. Add the salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and mix. Gradually add in 2 1/2 to 3 more cups of flour, until the dough forms a soft bowl.
Step 3. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until the smooth.
Step 4. Option of 2 rising methods:
Method 1: Leave the dough in the bowl and cover with a lid or towel, letting the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then Stir it for 10 seconds. Repeat this rest and stir method 5 times.
Method 2: Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover. Let the dough rise until doubled for an hour or so.
Step 5. Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface and divide it in half. Pat it down so it creates a thick rectangle. Start to roll up the dough, starting from the long edge and press out air bubbles with the heel of your hand. Pinch the edge to seal. Arrange seam side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 6. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let the loaves rise until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled in size, about an hour.
Step 7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make sure an oven rack is in the centre position. If you haven’t already, with a very sharp knife or baker’s lame cut several gashes at an angle on the top of each loaf.
Step 8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and baked through. Remove from the oven and slather with melted butter (optional, but delicious). Repeat with the 2nd loaf (or if you have convection setting, the loaves can bake at the same time, just rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking).
We were delighted to host the monthly Home Day for the YMCA Fairthorne Group on Thursday 20th February. This is an event where different groups in the YMCA Fairthorne Group come together each month to discuss progress along with the directors, CEO’s and trustees. It was great to have different input from different teams presenting progress and future updates. Along with a presentation from ourselves to present all the new things we have planned for YMCA Basingstoke, highlighted by Adam our Community Manager with input from Cara and Shona the Youth Engagement Co-Ordinator’s. Donna and Gina did a great job as Front of House, giving a warm welcome to our guests.
Topics that we were delighted to share, included: our new windows, the launch of our YPASS programmes, the creation of our blog, our Internet Café and EduCare days and volunteering plans.
New windows- We have been having new windows fitted throughout our building, updating the white frames to tinted glass with black frames. So far the progress has been praised by our residents who have had the changes made to their rooms saying that it makes the rooms so much quieter and warmer. We also think it adds a modern look to the buildings, so it is a thumbs up all around!
Our new windows compared to the old ones
YPASS programme launch- We will be launching our YPASS programmes 2nd March, starting with Jumpstart each morning which will provide our residents with breakfast to fuel them for the day ahead. Each day a cooking-based programme will take place. Food For Thought will take place Monday’s and Wednesday’s, an opportunity for people to talk about what is going on, issues and current affairs over lunch. Kitchen sink will occur on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, a fun practical course offering basic but essential cooking skills, healthy eating, meal prep, planning and budgeting, run by a volunteers. Peace, Love and Roast Potatoes will provide a nice end to the week on Friday’s which will adopt a family environment where our young people will shop together to prepare and cook a meal which will be ate together, ending with a group clean. Also on Fridays, Our Patch will take place, a resident-led programme allowing our residents to throw themselves into the heart of their community by taking responsibility for their home in gardening, maintenance, painting etc. Money Tree will take place on Monday’s, a programme that teaches money skills such as money management, budgeting and saving. Life Smart is a programme that teaches young people skills to keep safe and make everyday life easier, taking place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, whilst Empowered for Employment provides all the skills necessary to succeed in getting a job.
Our weekly programme planner
Blog creation- We have been working very hard on our Blog which provides a space for our residents to document their time with us and to show the community all that we do here at the YMCA Basingstoke.
Internet Café- As part of the YPASS programmes, we will be opening our Internet café on Wednesdays to our residents and anyone in the community that needs a space to get work done. Computers will be provided so people can write CV’s, apply for jobs, print things and complete EduCare Programmes etc. EduCare is a market-leading provider of high-quality, concise and easy-to-use safeguarding and duty of care e-learning service. They offer a variety of courses in health and safety, food safety, fire safety, first aid, moving and handling and so much more!
Look out for our poster advertising the Internet Café days and EduCare programmes
Volunteering- We are planning to create a resident volunteering committee, as part of our Super Heroes programme. This will be resident-led where our residents can volunteer throughout the community, giving back to the community and raising funds for us to be able to put back into our programmes. We have already had a lot of interest and ideas from our residents for this and we look forward to seeing what our young people do to provide for the community. Keep updated with these activities through our blog!
After the presentations we were joined by some of our residents for a buffet-style lunch where we were treated with a lovely spread of sandwiches, salads, fruits, flapjacks and so much more as you can see in the photos of the day! It was lovely to see so many of our residents interacting and it was great to host the Home Day for the first time!
Here at YMCA Basingstoke we didn’t spill our hearts out this valentines day- we ate our hearts out!
Prepped and ready for the day
Who needs a valentine when you have delicious cupcakes and biscuits? Our valentines day was spent interacting with each other in the lounge whilst releasing our creativity in cake and biscuit decorating, showing our competitive edge in table tennis, chilling drinking teas and coffees and listening to the cheesiest love songs!
Adam our Community Manager playing a game of table tennis
It was great to see such a fantastic turn out with around 30 residents engaging in the lounge throughout the day. Running from 12.00pm-4.00pm, Cara and Shona the new Youth Engagement Coordinators got to meet so many residents including a few residents who Cara and Shona will be lead mentors to during their stay at YMCA Basingstoke. This event allowed Cara and Shona to familiarise themselves with some of the people in the building and gain some great ideas for the different programmes that will be up and running over the year.
” It was great to see so many faces and get to know the residents a bit more, sharing their interests and other programmes and events they would like to get involved in”- Cara
“It has been lovely to see everybody and I am glad some people enjoyed the cake!”- Shona
Emma a resident gave the day “10/10”!
Lots of creative designs!
It is fair to say a lot of the residents showed an interest in cooking and were eager to share their ideas and recipes to us- so if you do make anything delicious take some photos and send your recipes to us so we can add it to the blog and share to others. We are also always looking for people to cook so come and speak to us so we can arrange something!
If you still haven’t come and met us you can find us in the Table Top Lounge opposite reception or drop us a message on Facebook or an email.
On Tuesday the 4th of February YMCA Basingstoke hosted visitors from various YMCA’s in Scotland who were on a tour of the Fairthorne Group establishments, accompanied by CEO Chris Hand and Community Director Chris Heighway. After a tour of the building with Adam and Donna, our visitors were treated to Jono’s wonderful home cooked meal of Ricotta and garlic stuffed chicken, wrapped in bacon; creamy chicken and spinach pasta and chips. Some of you joined us for the delicious meal, which went down very well with all, we’ve even been told we deserve extra kitchen equipment so we can keep serving such fantastic food!
Enjoying great food and company!
The visit was a great opportunity to show not only what we already do here but how we want to develop the space and where we want to go in the future. We have big plans and it was nice for them to see some of our vision. Chris Hand was very happy to see the new windows going in, a sentiment I think we all agree with! He also commended “the hosting and excellent lunch”. Thank you to everyone who came down to help out and eat with us, we hope to do a lot more meals in the future so if you couldn’t join us this time keep an eye out for next time and we’d love to see you!
