Origins

The Young Men's Christian Association ("YMCA" or "the Y") was founded on June 6, 1844 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, by George Williams

George Williams

-Politicians:*George Williams , British army officer and Liberal politician*George Henry Williams , United States Attorney General and a United States senator from Oregon...

 with the intention of creating an organization to put Christian principles into practice. It strove to help young men who came to London for work who were often living in squalid and unsafe conditions. The YMCA was dedicated to replacing life on the streets with prayer and bible study. The YMCA idea, which began among evangelicals, was unusual because it included in its membership different churches and social classes in Victorian England. The success of their ideals led to the founding of other YMCA's in Britain and elsewhere. The Horsham YMCA in West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

 originates from 1898.

The YMCA in Horsham

The YMCA in Horsham

Horsham

Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...

 was founded in 1898 by a group of young Christian men to provide sporting activities for young people in Horsham. The town at that point was short of facilities and the YMCA provided recreational opportunities that included football, athletics, stallball, cricket, cycling, first aid, an overseas mission, libraries and Bible studies.

During the Second World War (1939–45) the YMCA in Horsham helped Horsham's people by providing care for Service personnel. This included the founding of a youth centre in North Street for young Canadians who were billeted in Horsham during the period.

Youth programmes continued until the sixties when the Boys Club opened in Hurst Road. The YMCA chose to concentrate on their football programme at Horsham YMCA F.C.

Horsham YMCA F.C.

Horsham YMCA is a football club based in Horsham, West Sussex, England.They were established in 1898 and joined the Sussex County League Division Two in 1959. In the 1999-00 season, they reached the 4th round of the FA Vase. They are currently members of the Sussex County League Division One.-...

 and to expand their operations into other social concerns that affected young people.

Horsham YMCA today

During the 1990s the Horsham District Council area

Horsham (district)

Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Horsham. The district borders those of Crawley, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Chichester, Arun and Adur....

 faced a problem in meeting government targets for providing accommodation for young people. The YMCA at Guildford

Guildford

Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

, a town about twenty-five miles from Horsham, provided an example of where the YMCA had effectively worked with a local authority. The facilities in Guildford included a restaurant and conference facility with programmes for the disabled and the very young. There was accommodation for 132 residents and since the opening of the Guildford YMCA they had operated a summer camp scheme with over 500 young people taking part, organised personal development trips to India, opened a Youth Café and Advice Centre with a doctor and nurse available 3 sessions a week. 23 youth workers were employed in schools, the local church, café and helping disaffected young people. A proposal was made to the YMCA in Horsham for a similar offer of services and programmes.

As a consequence of the alliance between the YMCA led by a former CEO Alex Coke and Horsham District Council the YMCA provides 48 single flats for young people and supports this by a qualified staff partly funded by the Horsham District council. In 2004 the YMCA employed staff directly to work on the Needles estate at the request of the council.

The YMCA at Horsham is autonomous as is the custom of the YMCA organisation. Each YMCA in England is affiliated to a National Body.

The CEO is Peter Scofield (CEO) and the Horsham YMCA employs fifteen staff to run the youth programmes and to continue work in the community.