£4500 donation to Glenrothes YMCA to help young homeless people

Glenrothes YMCA has received a donation of £4500 to help young homeless people in the Auchmuty area.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The money will be used to buy bikes and equipment for homeless people in the area to improve their mental and physical health, along with other benefits such as regular exercise, increased confidence, decreased social isolation, and reduced transportation poverty.

Gareth Allenby, service manager at the YM, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive over £4500 from the Scottish Episcopal Church though our partnership with St Luke's Episcopal Church in Glenrothes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We aim to purchase bikes and all the equipment that goes with it so that our young people can have free access to bikes from within our homeless accommodation settings.

Pic: https://www.epicebike.com/Pic: https://www.epicebike.com/
Pic: https://www.epicebike.com/

“We know that the most frequent barrier to full societal participation is transportation, because of the decreasing availability of public transport at critical times, and the inability to access low-cost transport.

“Our soon to be launched ‘Y Cycle’ project which has been funded by Cycling Scotland will reduce the carbon footprint of residents in the Auchmuty area by increasing the use of footpaths and cycleways, and will be available for the 250 homeless people we assist every year.

“The project will be available to our young homeless population of Auchmuty, which is ranked in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation as one of the 20 per cent most deprived areas in the country.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The key priority of this project is to ensure young people have equal access to opportunities and help to support a fulfilling and decent life.”

Rev Gerry Dillon, of St Luke's Episcopal Church, was delighted to make the donation.

He said: “It is our privilege to work and learn from all at YMCA Glenrothes.

"Gareth and his team have tremendous experience in supporting and promoting opportunities for the homeless people in Fife.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“This opportunity for young people to support their mental and physical wellbeing will prove invaluable as we emerge from the present Covid-19 situation. “Hopefully, this project will be such a success that the partnership between St Luke’s and YMCA Glenrothes will grow for the benefit of all residents of Auchmuty and Glenrothes.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.