Anthony’s fighting spirit wins through

Anthony’s journey with YMCA started when he was just 16 and a student at our Horizon Project. The course, which equips young people with carpentry and joinery skills, is designed to help students who are hard-to-reach, have SEN or additional needs to get back into education, training or employment. Life back then was difficult for…

Luke triumphs over adversity

Luke’s upbringing was marked by turbulence, living with an abusive father who is now serving time in prison for multiple violent crimes. This experience affected Luke in many ways and left him feeling scared, isolated and very anxious about going outside. This in turn impacted on Luke’s experience of school which was also challenging. Whilst Luke’s…

Lisa’s story

Lisa, 53, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022.  Lisa is a regular at YMCA Romford and has been a member of the gym for over 20 years. In fact, her membership card was one of the first to be printed in plastic and distributed back in 2003! Lisa has always loved keeping fit and…

Carol’s journey back to fitness

Carol, 57, was initially diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer back in 2021. Following a full mastectomy and reconstruction surgery to her right side, she was then diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. This then resulted in six rounds of chemotherapy and a series of Herceptin injections for a further 10 months. Prior to diagnosis,…

Walking 200 miles to support homeless people

Jacqui Hopkinson was badly injured in a motorbike crash on New Year’s Eve 2021, breaking both her arms and leaving her unfit and feeling old.   Whilst recovering, Jacqui decided she needed a new challenge to help her get back to full fitness and has decided to fundraise for The Bridge Trust Project, supporting young…

What housing benefit cuts could mean for Romario’s future

Romario is a young person currently being supported by YMCA Thames Gateway.  He relies on Housing Benefit to pay for much of his rent and says that Housing Benefit gave him the springboard he needed to find work. Growing up, Romario had a difficult relationship with his dad. From the age of 15, he found…

Noel discovers a passion for fitness at the YMCA

Aged just 9, Noel lost his mum. Some years later his relationship with his father broke down and Noel became homeless. By chance, Noel popped into his local Connexions centre for some advice. He was then referred to the YMCA in Romford. Jobless, Noel started volunteering in the gym and soon realised a passion for…

Michael triumphs through his setbacks

In 2008, aged just 17, Michael was struck down with an unknown virus that left him paralysed from the chest down and with a severe visual impairment. Michael had to adjust to life in a wheelchair and in order to build up his upper body strength and general fitness joined YMCA Thames Gateway’s gym. Michael became a familiar face in…

Claire goes from strength to strength through exercise

On a holiday to South Africa in 2007, Claire visited a women’s shelter that helped women and children that had suffered abuse.  Sadly the facility was in a poor state with rubbish stacked up everywhere. Up until this point Claire had been feeling quite low after the loss of her mother but witnessing for herself…

Our cancer referral programme is transforming lives

Claire is 44 years old and has two children, aged 13 and 10. She is a full time mum.  In February 2016, Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The following April she had a single mastectomy and following that, radiotherapy. Prior to this diagnosis, Claire was struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome and had to take…