Purchase of St George's school by YMCA Central

Tuesday, 26 June 2012, 10:12 am
Press Release: YMCA

Purchase of St George's school by YMCA Central

Announcing the successful purchase of the St George’s School Campus from the Whanganui College Board of Trustees, YMCA Central President Rowan McGregor said this morning, “We are absolutely ecstatic with this result. The YMCA has just completed its 100 year celebrations and there could be no better way of reaffirming our commitment to the future of Wanganui than this”.

From its first days in 1912 in a new building on the corner of Plymouth Street and Victoria Avenue, the YMCA has moved through several sites around Wanganui before moving to its current headquarters in Park Place. It now has the opportunity of combining most of its activities and resources on one high profile central city site.

“St George’s gives us unprecedented flexibility and space, combined with playing fields and a swimming pool”, says Acting Chief Executive Sian Forster. “This is wonderful for us at the Y and it’s the perfect outcome for Wanganui. The Y will be preserving this outstanding heritage site for the future benefit of the whole community. We look forward with a great deal of excitement to welcoming all our existing community partners into our new home, together with all the families and schools that are already part of the YMCA story.”

“Just think of it! The YMCA Community Centre at St George’s – combining the best of the Y and the best of the community on one of the best heritage sites in the country!” enthused Ms Forster.

Councillor Jack Bullock, on the Board of YMCA Central, has always been a strong supporter of the bid to move to St George’s School. “I believe this is the best way forward for the future sustainability and growth of the YMCA. The skills and capabilities of the YMCA’s management team led by Chief Executive Gerry Gibbs, combined with the enthusiasm and professionalism of all our staff are the best guarantees of the absolute success of this move”.

Much of the funding for the purchase is coming from the YMCA itself but the YMCA is also announcing what Cr Jack Bullock calls ‘An Extreme Fundraising Campaign’. “We have had the support of the whole community for the last 100 years. Now we will be turning to the wider community for their support for a further 100 years”.

The YMCA is planning to make the move into St George’s towards the end of the year and will be publicising a variety of activities and events to celebrate what one staff member calls ‘a thrilling and exciting challenge’.

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