Excitement was in the air on Friday when YMCAs across England and Wales come together for the ninth annual Youth Matters Awards, a dazzling evening of celebration at 8 Northumberland Avenue.
This year’s glittering ceremony, hosted by former T4 presenter Miquita Oliver, celebrated the achievements of young people, staff, volunteers and YMCA projects, highlighting the work YMCA does each and every day to help young people reach their full potential.
The room was buzzing with anticipation as 12 awards were presented to the deserving winners, ranging from young people who have battled through adversity to staff who had gone the extra mile.
CEO, Denise Hatton, opened the evening saying, “I am so thrilled to be here celebrating the great work of YMCAs and the achievements of young people. This year’s awards are bigger and better than ever with more nominations from more YMCAs.”
With over 270 guests attending the gala dinner event, Denise finished by saying, “I want to say a huge thank you to all our YMCAs for the amazing work you do, well done to all the finalists and nominees, and a special thanks to our donors, sponsors and supporters for making it all possible.”
The awards were complimented by two amazing performances from YMCA volunteer, Ejide Tondu, who performed a rendition of God Bless this Child by Billie Holiday, and Young Achiever finalist, Joel Lees (aka Mister Lees), who closed the show with his very own garage track, No Excuses.
Congratulations to our 2018 winners:
Young Worker
Megan Cooke, YMCA Barry
Young Volunteer
Alice Whiteside, YMCA Burton
Young Leader
Natalie Cheung, Y Care International
Young Achiever
Charlie Squires, One YMCA
YMCA of the Year
YMCA East Surrey
Diversity Award
Good Vibes, YMCA Swansea
Best Training & Education Project
Aspire, YMCA Cardiff
Best Health & Wellbeing Project
Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Service, YMCA DownsLink Group
Best Family Work Project
Revolyoution, YMCA Thames Gateway
Best Accommodation Project
Beach Hotel, YMCA Somerset Coast
We Believe Award
Drew Cooper, YMCA Derbyshire
Red Triangle Award
Karen Deverell, YMCA Mendip
Find out more about YMCA’s Youth Matters Awards.