Projects: Larne YMCA

Support & nurture

Larne YMCA has ambitious plans to support youngsters in the area, but needed more space for all the activities it provides.

Thanks to a £10,000 grant from Wooden Spoon Ulster, and funding from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s community fund, YMCA Larne has a new chill out room. YMCA Operations Director, Dean Nutt, said: “The new space will give us the opportunity to expand our provision for young people across the area. It will be vital to meeting our aims of promoting youth development, healthy living and community engagement. The room will be known as the Wooden Spoon Chill Out Room.” Sessions run six days a week and the autism support group runs for four days a week. Over the course of a week, more than 250 children and youngsters visit, aged between 7-25.

The mosaic logo for Larne YMCA

The new mobile unit for the chill out room arriving at Larne YMCA, Northern Island The children love using the new Wooden Spoon Chill Out Room at Larne YMCA

“It’s a safe and welcoming environment which helps me to be myself and brings me out

of my shell.” Jayden

Leanne Doherty, who works at YMCA Larne, said: “More of the children here are either on the spectrum or have autism or ADHD. The new unit is a quiet space for us to run sensory activities with smaller groups. “There is such a need in this area, and it’s affordable. There is space to play, and with the new mobile unit funded by Wooden Spoon, there is now space to feel calm. Emotional regulation is so important. The kids all want to go there to do their homework because they can concentrate. Jayden, 15, is a regular at the club: “It’s a safe and welcoming environment which helps me to be myself and brings me out of my shell. It’s a place to meet up with friends outside of school, have fun and play sports. “The new chill out rooms are great, as sometimes the main building can become very noisy and it’s hard to focus when leading or taking part in group work, but the chill out room has made this easier.”