YMCA Heart of England achieved ‘YMCA of the Year’ at Youth Matters Awards

Birmingham, UK — November 2025— YMCA Heart of England is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded the prestigious YMCA of the Year award at the 2025 Youth Matters Awards, hosted by YMCA England & Wales. This prize recognises the charity’s outstanding impact over the past year, as voted by an expert judging panel and more than 16,000 public votes!

On November 14^th, a few representatives from YMCA – Heart of England travelled to London to attend the award ceremony for a night of celebration, recognising efforts and successes, and shared goals among YMCAs from across the United Kingdom.

This win is a powerful affirmation of YMCA Heart of England’s commitment to its mission: inspiring young people to discover their potential so they can live life in all its fullness. Over the last year, YMCA – Heart of England has supported over 1,000 young people, with 97% reporting behavioural improvement. In addition, the organisation has delivered 201 community engagement events, including food pantries, breakfast clubs, and green-space projects, which reached nearly 2,800 people.

These accomplishments reflect YMCA Heart of England’s deeply rooted values — Believe, Excellence, Compassion, Integrity, Inspire — and its trauma-informed, inclusive approach to service delivery. The charity has also been recognised externally for its high standards, including IIP Silver, Matrix, and a Gold Award for exempt accommodation services.

On the same night, YMCA – Heart of England’s very own Youth Ambassador, Shantisha Pande, was also the recipient of the Lewis Sewell Memorial Award. The Award honours the memory of Lewis Sewell, who was involved with the YMCA from a young age, and is given by the Lewis Sewell Memorial trust to a person of exceptional courage, resilience and positivity.

Lewis Sewell sadly passed away in August 2020 aged 18, following a short battle with a rare childhood cancer. He was an aspiring actor and was pursuing his absolute passion for the performing arts. The Trust was set up in his memory, with the aim to remove barriers to entry into the performing arts industry.

Shantisha Pande is currently residing with YMCA – Heart of England and has been active as a Youth Ambassador with YMCA Heart of England. To read more about Shantisha’s journey and story, you can visit our website here.

The journey to this award has been underpinned by YMCA Heart of England’s bold new five-year strategic plan (2025–2030), which was shaped through 12 consultations involving our trustees, staff, volunteers, residents, and young people. This co-creation process ensured that the strategy truly reflects the organisation’s heart — its people.

At the same time, YMCA Heart of England has embarked upon a new and improved People & Culture Strategy, recognising that the strength of the charity lies in the strength of its people and the behaviours of its people reflecting the ethos and values that we embody – we are more than values that are written we believe that our behaviours should reflect the kind of environment that encourage everyone to be the best version of themselves. Through authentic participation in decision-making, every voice — from young residents to housekeeping staff to leadership — has contributed to defining our future and the culture we want to work within.

Some of the YMCA’s recent and ongoing achievements include:

• Purchase of The Orchard: In September 2024, YMCA Heart of England acquired 83 homes in Erdington (Birmingham) from Clarion Housing Group. This move consolidates its role as a landlord and enhances its ability to deliver tailored support in its own properties.
• Mary Court Move-On Homes: In early 2024, YMCA successfully completed Mary Court, providing 27 self-contained studio flats that help transition young people from supported housing into independent living.
  

These developments concretely embody the YMCA’s mission and strategic pillars: safe homes, supportive community, youth empowerment, and sustainable growth. And the best is yet to come!

Pauline Tomlinson, CEO of YMCA Heart of England, welcomed the award:

“This is a moment of deep pride for everyone at YMCA Heart of England — our staff, volunteers, young people, and residents. It shows that when we listen, co-create, and act with compassion and purpose, we can build something truly transformative. Winning YMCA of the Year is not just a milestone — it’s a launchpad for the next phase of our journey.”

Looking ahead, YMCA Heart of England will continue to deliver on its five-year strategic plan through:

1. Deepening community engagement — expanding outreach events, youth-led projects, and resident participation.
   
   
2. Investing in people — further embedding its People & Culture Strategy to nurture talent, co-create policies, and build leadership capacity.
   
   
3. Scaling accommodation impact and nursery provision — developing more supported and move-on homes, strengthening the co-design of resident services and providing nursery provision for our babies and toddlers.
   
   
4. Innovation in youth programmes — integrating new models of youth work, health and wellbeing support, and social enterprise to meet evolving needs.

About YMCA Heart of England:

YMCA Heart of England is a Christian-founded charity that provides housing, education, youth work, and community services across Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, with a mission to support young people in times of crisis and beyond, the YMCA offers safe accommodation, structured programmes, and real opportunities for growth and positive progression. We believe that your starting point doesn’t determine what you will become.

Media Contact

M. Elena Roselli
Head of PR, Communications & Engagement
YMCA Heart of England
communications@ymcaheartofengland.org.uk