TEESDALE YMCA is getting ready to resume services after the pandemic – with plans to re-open an office in Barnard Castle and find a space for young people’s activities in town.
The organisation says it lost £100,000 a year in funding when the pandemic hit and had to make tough choices.
In 2020, the Barnard Castle-based charity closed its base in Galgate, which it had occupied for 20 years, and let out the premises to recoup some of the losses.
But a new youth worker is being employed to hit the streets to speak to young people, working with police officers and other groups.
Teesdale YMCA is also in talks with the town’s Methodist church about using its hall to provide a regular meeting place for youth work.
Barnard Castle Town Council is considering offering the organisation free use of an office for YMCA staff at its headquarters in Woodleigh.
Teesdale YMCA may share the space with Citizen’s Advice, which was given free use of Woodleigh in January.
Rachel Dyne, YMCA operations director, said: “We were working with the Lottery on another round of funding when Covid hit. We lost the best part of £100,000 a year overnight. We had to look at what we delivered and had to restructure.
“We owned the building in Galgate but the space was not ideal. Young people were tripping over each other – I always had to repair the window when a pool ball hit it. So we decided to rent it out and recoup some of the lost funding.
“We are looking to secure office space and youth space.”
Ms Dyne said Teesdale YMCA has been working with TCR Hub in recent months.
“We haven’t disappeared but there was only so much one person could do,” she added. Ms Dyne, who was updating town councillors, said a new youth and community worker was due to start soon and would be carrying out “street-based work” .
“They will be going out with the police to see where young people hang out and rebuild those relationships. Two years is a long time for young people,” she said. Cllr Fiona Turnbull said it was important for Teesdale YMCA to rebuild its presence. She added: “We have had problems at the play park and young people hanging out at the Demesnes.
“There does not seem to be a lot of provision for ages 11 and upwards.”
Mayor Cllr Rima Chatterjee said she had met Teesdale School’s headteacher, Dan Pilling.
“He really desperately needs the YMCA here because there were 40 to 50 children who were using the YMCA and it helped get them off the streets,” she said.
Ms Dyne replied: “We deal with sexual health – children and young teenagers sometimes do not want to have a discussion with their parents or at school. Also, we would be naive to think that young people are not experimenting with drink or drugs and we would pick up a lot of work linked to that.”
Ms Dyne said the charity needed to work in partnerships because of the drop in funding and asked to use the Woodleigh office as an administration base.
Town councillors will now consider the proposal and have asked Citizen’s Advice and Teesdale YMCA to outline how they would share the office space.
However, Cllr Paul Ing said he had spoken to Citizen’s Advice volunteers who had expressed concerns about losing important office space, especially if their service expands from one day a week to two or three.
