Cheshire-based innovative marketing firm, Swift Cheshire, recently announced they had won a new client - YMCA Cheshire.

Here they unveil the background to this organisation which has been a big part of the Crewe community for a long time.

Established in 1984, YMCA Cheshire, website here , is a long-standing part of the Crewe community, predominantly known for its work with people experiencing homelessness in the area.

While this remains a core part of its offering, the charity has evolved hugely since those early days, offering a whole host of services in the Cheshire community.

Broken into three core areas; housing and support, community and enterprise, the charity has been working hard behind the scenes with its 104-strong team of staff and volunteers, becoming a beacon of light for its service users, of which there are approximately 22,000 per year across its entire offering.

The reality though? Its reach could be so much more as it continues to fight the assumption it's a one-trick pony that only helps homeless men.

Head of Fundraising and Governance, Josh Walker-Brooks, explained the background to their amazing work.

He said: "There's no doubt that what we do at YMCA Cheshire has evolved massively over the last four decades but in the last eight years alone our evolution has been transformative.

he YMCA Crewe aims to provide support to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to discover who they are and what they can become (YMCA Crewe).

"Community has become a core part of what we do, from summer camps to weekly parent and toddler sessions, after school clubs and a weekly youth group for 16-18 year olds in the area.

"We've also launched a number of enterprise operations in this time, including GLO Café, located at our Gresty Road location, which serves a whole host of breakfast and lunch options including full English, toasties, jacket potatoes and even afternoon tea.

"On top of that, we have a daily special which can vary from lasagne to Sri Lankan curry and homemade chilli con carne, as well as a kids menu at £3.00 per meal.

"There really is something for everyone at GLO Café and all profits go back into supporting our service users.

"Our most recent enterprise operation is GLO Maintenance, a commercial and residential property maintenance service, catering for individuals and companies across Cheshire and Staffordshire.

"Headed up by Mark Deaville, Properties Manager, this professional service helps provide hands on training and sometimes employment opportunities for our service users, with customers able to benefit from anything from general property repair and maintenance to electrical inspections, kitchen installations, painting and decorating and house clearance to name just a few."

Housing and support remain integral to its offering with the difference that it is no longer exclusive to men, instead they support both men and women locally experiencing homelessness, as well as care leavers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and refugees.

Its support goes way beyond that of just accommodation, with each young person going through the YMCA's GLO Academy mentoring process, helping them better their lives beyond their stay at the YMCA.

Josh added: "As we start to look to 2025, we plan to reach more people than ever with our support services by spreading the word about all the wonderful things we do! We'd encourage anyone interested in learning more about the YMCA Cheshire to follow us on Facebook, visit our website here or reach out to our team for a chat on [email protected] or 01270 257673."

Crewe Nub News is proud to announce that Swift Cheshire is a sponsor of our news service.

Swift Cheshire's support helps us to deliver the high-quality journalism that Crewe deserves - no clickbait or intrusive ads, just the latest updates on what's happening in our town.

It is thanks to the generosity of organisations like Swift Cheshire that we can continue our mission to revive local news, both in Crewe and across the UK.

Swift Cheshire offers the full suite of marketing services including; website design and management, copywriting, graphic design, and social media. To find out more, visit Swift's website here or contact [email protected].