YMCA South Devon

27/08/2026

💙 Turning a challenge into a positive future

Sometimes, a young person just needs someone to open a door.

At 23, one young person found themselves homeless following a relationship breakdown. With nowhere safe to stay and limited support networks, they spent three months rough sleeping in parks and car parks.

The uncertainty, isolation and lack of safety had a significant impact on their wellbeing. But, with the support of a trusted mentor, they took the important step of asking for help and were referred to YMCA South Devon Nightstop service.

Initially, staying with people they didn't know was understandably daunting. But our Nightstop hosts provided more than just a safe place to sleep. They offered a warm welcome, meals, washing facilities, conversation, encouragement and, importantly, a sense of safety and stability.

Little by little, their confidence and wellbeing began to improve.

With the support of Nightstop, they were able to focus on what came next - actively working towards finding suitable accommodation and rebuilding their independence.

And this month, something incredibly positive happened...

🏠 They moved into their own home.

What started as a challenging and uncertain period in their life has become a new chapter - one where they have a safe place to call home and the opportunity to move forward.

This is what our services are about. Not simply responding to a crisis, but supporting young people to overcome challenges, regain confidence and create positive futures.

Behind every statistic is a young person with their own story, potential and future.
And sometimes, the right support at the right time can help change the direction of that story. 💙

Could you help us change the direction of another young person's story?

There are lots of ways you can support YMCA South Devon - whether that's through volunteering, fundraising, donating, becoming a supporter, do you have a spare room and would consider becoming a Nightstop Host?

If you think you could help, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch and let's see what we can do together. 💙

25/08/2026

🍻 THE YMCA South Devon TIPPLE TOUR IS BACK! 🍻

And this year, we're taking it across Torbay! 🎉

📅 Saturday 26th September 2026
📍 Paignton | Brixham | Torquay
👕 £20 registration – T-shirt included!

Grab your friends, get your team together and join us for a fun afternoon & evening visiting some of the fantastic pubs across Torbay – all while raising money to support young people and families in our local community. ❤️

Last year's Tipple Tour raised over £1,200, helping us buy a new pool table for our youth area and much-needed outdoor play equipment for our nursery.

This year, with three towns, even more pubs and plenty of thirsty participants, we're hoping to go even further! 🍻
️
🎟️WANT TO JOIN US?

Registration is now open! Simply complete the registration form and secure your place for £20 per person – including this year's Tipple Tour T-shirt.

📧 [email protected]
☎️ 01803 551578

👉 Get your team together and sign up!

👕 BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

We're also looking for a business to become our official Tipple Tour 2026 T-shirt Sponsor.

Your business logo could feature on the T-shirts worn by our participants across Paignton, Brixham and Torquay, giving you great visibility while supporting a fantastic local cause.

Interested in becoming our T-shirt sponsor?

📩 Get in touch with John at YMCA South Devon to find out more - [email protected]

Three towns. Great pubs. One great cause.

🍻 Are you joining us?

21/08/2026

Thank you Alex and the Torbay Hospital Radio for inviting Olivia onto the radio yesterday to help creating awareness for our Nightstop Service - one of the services we provide here at YMCA South Devon.

If you missed it, you can listen back on the link below. And if you would like to support or find out more about Nightstop please get in touch:

01803 551578
[email protected]

Here’s Alex with today’s guest - Olivia Downs from Night Stop YMCA.

Listen back on MixCloud.com

20/08/2026

📚 HAVE YOU GOT A KALLAX UNIT YOU NO LONGER NEED? 💜

We’re putting out a little plea to our local community! 🙏

We’re currently looking for KALLAX units to help us create organised, welcoming and practical spaces for the children, young people and families we support across Torbay and South Devon.

So, if you’re having a clear-out, moving house, upgrading your furniture, or simply have a KALLAX unit sitting unused, we’d love to hear from you!

✨ Size - 6 squares (2x3) and 8 squares (2x4)
✨ Any colour
✨ New or pre-loved
✨ Even if you know someone who is getting rid of one, please tag them or share this post!

Rather than heading to the tip, your unwanted shelving could have a new lease of life helping local children and young people.❤️

📩 Can you help? Please send us a message or get in touch with YMCA South Devon.

One unwanted unit could make a big difference to the spaces we provide.

Thank you for helping us spread the word! 💜



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20/08/2026

Our lovely Olivia, Nightstop Lead here at YMCA South Devon will be on the Torbay Hospital Radio this afternoon talking all things Nightstop - one of our services we provide here to help prevent youth homelessnes for 18-25 year olds.

To find out more, why not tune and listen at 3pm today 📻

And to contact Olivia direct, you can call her on 01803 551578 or [email protected]

Don't forget to listen in this afternoon 3pm till 5pm - Alex Island with Alex’s special guest Olivia Downs from Night Stop YMCA.

14/08/2026

One of our "26 in 26" supporters! Why not give Twigger Business Solutions a like, share or follow. Or better still reach out them to find out more about what services they offer 🫶

🎉 FRIDAY SHOUT OUT — let's get you some new followers! 🎉

Here's how it works:

1️⃣ Comment below and tag your business
2️⃣ Go and follow/like the other businesses that pop up in the comments
3️⃣ Give the posts on their page a comment or a few likes.

Simple as that. No catch, no sales pitch — just small businesses supporting small businesses. Torbay (and beyond) is full of brilliant people doing brilliant things, and we want to help you get seen by more of them.

So go on — drop your business below 👇 and let's get scrolling, following and supporting each other. That's what community's about.

🏷️ Tag a business owner you think should see this too!

12/08/2026

Could you support our Nightstop service at YMCA South Devon?

Do you have a spare room?
Would you be able to offer a room for the night for a young, homeless person?

Nightstop volunteers are part of a fantastic community of people working hard to prevent youth homelessness aged 18-25, not just in the UK, right here in Torbay and South Devon.

The service relies on kind volunteers with a spare bedroom which they are willing to offer to a young person, as well as a hot meal, a shower, and hosts who are ready to listen.

Here at YMCA South Devon, we train you, offer £20 per night expenses, and we check the young person to ensure both parties are safe. Since April 2026, our lovely hosts have been able to offer vulnerable, young people, 60 safe nights to prevent rough sleeping or staying in unsafe places, right here in Torbay and South Devon.

If you think you could help or would like to become a host, Olivia, our wonderful Nightstop Lead, would love to hear from you.

Please get in touch on the following details:

01803 551578
07519 374 592
[email protected]

Thank you 🫶

10/08/2026

🏠📸 A pretty special view for a photo shoot! 🌊

We recently headed out to Bay Roofing SW Ltd to celebrate their support for YMCA South Devon as one of our fantastic "26 in 26" business supporters.

With the sun shining and that incredible view across Torbay, it was the perfect backdrop for some photos with our "26 in 26" posters. We certainly couldn’t have asked for better scenery! 😍

Bay Roofing SW Ltd combine traditional craftsmanship with modern roofing expertise, delivering quality roofing solutions across the South West.

But they’re not just keeping roofs over people’s heads - they’re also helping us create brighter futures for children, young people and families across Torbay & South Devon. 💙

A huge thank you to the Bay Roofing team for your support and for helping us build stronger communities.

And here's the thing… there's still room under the "26 in 26" roof! 😉

If your business would like to support YMCA South Devon through our 26 in 26 campaign, we'd love to hear from you.

For just £15, £25 or £50 a month, your business can help us continue supporting children, young people and families across South Devon.

📩 Get in touch to find out more and join our growing family of "26 in 26" supporters.

[email protected]

Let’s raise the roof for our local community! 🏠💙

10/08/2026

Can anyone help?

We unfortunately misplaced our Tetris XL dice while attending the fabulous Play Torbay event last week.

If anyone happened to pick it up for us or know where we could source a replacement, we would be so thankful, please do get in touch 01803 551578 or drop us a DM 🫶

07/08/2026

In case you missed us at the Play Torbay event earlier in the week, here is Olivia, speaking with Steve Darling MP, reminding us all about our Nightstop service and how you can help.

To find out more contact us at:

☎️ 01803 551578 or 07519 374 592
📧 [email protected]