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Head of Health & Wellbeing
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Head of Health & Wellbeing
As part of Senior Leadership Team (SLT) I provide strategic leadership and support to the organisation for all things Health & Wellbeing, including supporting our Housing Managers to develop opportunities for residents to become healthier and more independent, create an environment where amazing staff teams feel they belong, can thrive and reach their potential as well leading the strategic development of activities and support available in the local community through our Sports Centre, Family Space and Feed Cheltenham.
I first joined YMCA Cheltenham in 2007 and have been blown away and privileged to witness first-hand the impact of the YMCA has with all those we work with across Gloucestershire – there is not many places you can work where everyday your work is making a difference by changing people’s lives!
My door is always open and the kettle is always on, if you need anything just let me know…
Head of Property and Maintenance
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Head of Property and Maintenance
My name is David Hemmings and I started working for YMCA Cheltenham in March 2024. I am Head of Property and Maintenance; part of the Senior Leadership Team and I provide strategic leadership and support to the organisation for anything Property & Maintenance related. I am extremely proud of the work myself and the team carry out on a daily basis, We are always looking for new and innovative ways to work whilst getting the best value for money. The work that the team carries out ranges from housekeeping, grounds maintenance, day to day repairs, void works and compliance works. Due the variety in the properties owned and managed by YMCA Cheltenham we must rely on and manage several external contractors across all fields to assist us in maintaining our properties.
One of the main reasons why I joined YMCA Cheltenham, was to help improve and maintain its current properties now as well as in the future. I am trying to build a planned maintenance program of works to ensure that we are delivering high quality accommodation and buildings for our sports and family services for many years to come.
Outside of work I have three young children, one daughter and twin sons. I am looking forward to watching them grow up and the challenges that will bring. I am always playing or watching sport and I think that this is something that has already started rubbing off on them.
Senior Executive Assistant
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Senior Executive Assistant
Jo is the Senior Executive Assistant at YMCA Cheltenham. Her role is to support the Senior Leadership Team of the organisation and in particular the CEO. Jo aims to ensure the provision of high-quality research, administrative and technical assistance to the organisation.
Although the focus of Jo’s work is supporting our CEO, she also supports the Governance of the charity by ensuring the smooth delivery of Trustee Board and Committee meetings, as well as managing the central administration team.
Jo says “I spent over 25 years working for a leisure and sport consultancy and, looking for a change from home working and many trips away, I made the decision to find a local job – I also wanted to work for a charity.
When I saw a vacancy at YMCA Cheltenham I didn’t hesitate to apply. I knew the YMCA as my children had enjoyed many sports activities throughout their childhood, from Toddler Gymnastics to Judo and Junior Badminton. I was always impressed by the YMCA sports coaches and valued the encouragement and support they gave my children. In addition, as I lived in Cheltenham, I was aware that the charity was expanding with much needed supported accommodation in Vittoria Walk.
Then, when I started working here, the range of services the YMCA provided for the local community really impressed me – and still does to this day. We are always looking to respond to local needs.
Working at YMCA Cheltenham is more than just a job for me – the work we do to help others is so important, as are the values by which we operate.
…and, knowing that YMCA Cheltenham was founded in 1855 means even more – ensuring we continue the good work of serving our community as those who have gone before us did.
Pre-School Manager
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Pre-School Manager
I am the Pre-school Manager at Cherry Blossom Pre-school and I oversee the staff team and ensure the pre-school is a fun, safe, and nurturing environment for all of our children. I joined the YMCA because it was clear to see that they are devoted to their employees, as well as being committed to supporting children and families and welcoming growth and development to meet the needs of the local community. Our pre-school not only provides high quality education for early years children, but also support the children and their families on a more personal level. Whether that be through facilitating access to food vouchers from the local food bank or making contact with Health Visitors to arrange support in the family home. We pride ourselves on our passion for ensuring all of our children and families feel that we are a setting which goes above and beyond to provide individual support to those who need it.
Sports Centre Manager
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Sports Centre Manager
I’m the Sport Centre Manager here at Cheltenham YMCA and have been in place since 2021, My career has always been focused on sport and leisure here in Gloucestershire within other charitable organisations. Within my professional journey, I came to the realisation that it’s time to give back and work within a charity who have the ability to positively impact people’s lives through – (Faye can you spice up the ending)
My aim is to provide a friendly, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone to explore their individual health and wellbeing journeys. This is achieved through a variety of sport clubs, fitness classes, community partnerships and social engagements.
We pride ourselves on having an incredible Health and wellbeing team here with the drive and focus on supporting young people, the communities and you.
We are open to all so please do pop into the sport centre. Lace up your trainers and try a class, experience the community we have and grab a cuppa whilst we explore how we can help.”
Feed Cheltenham Lead
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Feed Cheltenham Lead
Linda joined the YMCA in December 2022 as the Feed Cheltenham Lead. Linda trained initially in Social Work and then Counselling, spending several years working in the field of Substance Misuse in a variety of settings including residential, criminal justice, and community roles, before choosing to stay at home to raise her three children who are now all at local secondary schools. She moved to the YMCA from her job as a Community Centre Manager here in Cheltenham, and therefore brought lots of local knowledge about available services to her new role.
Feed Cheltenham was established in 2020 as a response to the pandemic and the struggles many low-income families faced due to furloughing, job losses and ill health. The numbers of people using community food support services rose dramatically during this time, and the number of Community Pantries in Cheltenham alone increased from 1 to 6 over four years. Having helped to establish one of these pantries during the pandemic, and feeling passionate that it is important for everyone to have access to food, Linda felt that much could be achieved within the Feed Cheltenham role. This remains the case as the cost of living continues to increase, and we continue to see people in great need, experiencing many challenges in addition to food insecurity.
Feed Cheltenham has a Crowd Funder raising funds that can be used to buy Supermarket Vouchers to give out to households in need. Linda works with lots of different agencies, from small charities through to mainstream schools, to make sure that these vouchers get to families who really can benefit from them.
Feed Cheltenham works with the managers of all 6 independent charity-based community pantries helping to coordinate their efforts across the town to deliver a uniform service that can meet need. Feed Cheltenham also advocates for the needs of those facing food insecurity on several committees and discussions happening at both town and county level.