YMCA Bellshill and Mossend’s Board and Staff have been left in shock by the recent publication of a proposal by North Lanarkshire Council Education, Children and Families Committee to withdraw essential funding for their Early and Effective Intervention youth work program

The funding, which has been in place for over 12 years, has supported hundreds of young people across North Lanarkshire to realise their potential and move towards positive destinations through one to one mentoring with a positive role model

The Bellshill and Mossend YMCA is well known and loved locally, not only for our Youth Work service but also our Childcare service, community uniform
and food bank and most recently a warm space café to fight the Cost of Living

The recommendation to defund the organisation by the Council places the entire future of the organisation in jeopardy with potential closure of the much-used community building, loss of essential services and associated job losses

This proposal will be discussed at a meeting of the committee on the 28th February and could mean the funding is withdrawn as soon as the end of April 2023

This will be a devastating loss for an organisation who have been at the heart of the community for over 100 years and the YMCA Bellshill & Mossend Board of Directors have written to all North Lanarkshire Councillors to urge them to not take this decision

Action is needed immediately as this decision will be made next week with a view to withdrawing the funding in 13 weeks. Please sign and share and help save our YMCA in the heart of the community of Bellshill and North Lanarkshire