Swansea Ymca

What Swansea Ymca does

YMCA Swansea Abertawe is a registered charity (Charity No: 1154553, Registered Company No: 8634510) operating from a 1913 purpose-built building at 1 The Kingsway in Swansea city centre, tracing its organizational origins to 1857. The charity delivers youth and family work, health and wellbeing services, training and education, support and advice, and community hub services across Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Neath & Port Talbot in South West Wales, serving over 2,000 vulnerable young people and adults annually. Core service lines include the Young Carers Service (assessments, advocacy, ID card, weekly club, forum, podcast, and trips for ages 8–18), LGBTQ+ Youth Support (GoodVibes in-person group, GoodVibes Online, one-to-one, school outreach, and free professional awareness training for ages 11–25), Y-Hub (open-access drop-in and Friday night youth club targeting those at risk of County Lines and exploitation), Y-Talent (music and arts engagement for trauma-affected young people), Detached Youth Work (street-based engagement), Counselling with specialist referral partners, Fitness Centre memberships from £9.99/month, and Venue Hire for the Llewellyn Theatre (£30/hour), Dance Studio (£25/hour), and office spaces.

The charity operates on a hybrid revenue model dominated by grants from BBC Children in Need, Welsh Government, Swansea Council, West Glamorgan Regional Partnership, People's Postcode Lottery, and the Waterloo Foundation, supplemented by individual donations (JustGiving, EasyFundraising, Siarad campaign), modest recurring fitness membership fees, pay-as-you-go venue hire, and training course fees (with several professional training courses provided free). Distribution is multi-channel: physical community hub and youth centre, street-based detached youth work, school outreach, online (GoodVibes Online, podcast, YouTube), and professional training partnerships with Adult Learning Wales, CWVYS, and McDonald's. The organization holds JNC-endorsed qualification delivery status via Agored Cymru registration, the Silver Quality Mark for Youth Work from the Education Workforce Council, ICO data protection registration, and was the first youth work charity inspected by Estyn (recognized as exemplar in 2025). It is led by CEO Richard Williams and is part of the global YMCA network (65 million beneficiaries across 120 countries).

Name

Swansea Ymca

Legal name

YMCA Swansea Abertawe

Website

https://ymcaswansea.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1857

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Community Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Youth work services
• Young carers support
• LGBTQ+ youth support
• Community fitness centre
• Venue hire services

Headquarters

HQ city

Swansea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, JustGiving platform donations, Siarad campaign donations, and EasyFundraising partner program
2. Government and Charitable Grants: Core funding from BBC Children in Need, Swansea Council, West Glamorgan Regional Partnership, Welsh Government, People's Postcode Lottery, Waterloo Foundation, and other charitable funders
3. Fitness Centre Membership: Monthly membership starting from £9.99 per month with £4 day pass option
4. Venue Hire: Hire of Llewellyn Theatre, Dance Studio, and office spaces to external parties for events and meetings
5. Training Course Fees: Professional training courses including Youth Work qualifications (Level 2 and Level 3), Understanding Young Carers training, and LGBTQ+ Awareness training

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

YMCA Swansea is a registered charity delivering youth and family work, LGBTQ+ youth support, training and education, counselling, housing support, and a community fitness centre from its historic Kingsway building in Swansea. Services include the Young Carers Service, Y-Hub drop-in, GoodVibes LGBTQ+ group (in-person and online), Y-Talent creative project, detached youth work, Agored Cymru youth work qualifications, venue hire of the Llewellyn Theatre and Dance Studio, and a community fitness centre with monthly memberships. The organisation supports over 2,000 vulnerable young people and adults per year across South West Wales.

Product overview

YMCA Swansea Abertawe is a charity providing youth work, community services, and training across Swansea and surrounding areas. The organization operates as a multi-service hub offering: youth and family support services (Young Carers Service, Y-Hub, Y-Talent, Detached Youth Work), LGBTQ+ support (GoodVibes youth group, GoodVibes Online, 1-to-1 support, school outreach, awareness training), health and wellbeing (Fitness Centre, Counselling), community facilities (Venue Hire including Theatre, Dance Studio, and Office spaces), and professional training (Agored Cymru youth work qualifications, Understanding Young Carers training, Transgender Awareness training). Services support over 2,000 vulnerable young people and adults annually through a network of qualified youth workers and partnerships with Swansea Council, Welsh Government, and charitable funders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Young Carers Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Helps over 2,000 vulnerable young people and adults per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Barnardo'sminorOthersPartner organization listed on partnerships page.
• KaleidoscopeminorOthersPartner organization listed on partnerships page.
• Welsh Rugby Union (WRU)minorOthersPartner organization listed on partnerships page.
• Adult Learning WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivering Youth Work qualifications across Wales as part of initiative between McDonald's, BBC Children in Need and CWVYS. YMCA Swansea works with Adult Learning Wales to deliver JNC recognized qualifications.
• CWVYScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in delivering Youth Work qualifications across Wales as part of initiative between McDonald's, BBC Children in Need and Adult Learning Wales.
• Wales & West UtilitiesminorOthersThrough the Gas Distribution Network, supporting YMCA Swansea's work over 12 months. Staff have attended training to better advise those they work with about gas safety and keeping homes warm, safe and well insulated.
• Swansea Carers CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYMCA Swansea works closely with Swansea Carers Centre and their Young Adult Carers Project to offer smooth transitions for older Young Carers (16+) when the time is right.
• City and County of Swansea Evolve Youth WorkerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency approach in detached youth work, working alongside Evolve Youth Workers and other specialist youth organisations.
• Progress CymruminorOthersSpecialist counselling service partner for signposting when needed.
• PlatfformminorOthersSpecialist mental health service partner for signposting when needed.
• EystminorOthersSpecialist service partner for signposting when needed.
• YMCA (National)majorOthersPart of the global YMCA network (serving 65 million people in 120 countries). YMCA England & Wales operates the retail shop, donating percentage of profits to support local work.
• Swansea City Football ClubminorOthersHas supported the Young Carers ID Card scheme and hosted Young Carers at events.
• YMCA CardiffminorOthersFellow Welsh YMCA organization. Visited Senedd together along with YMCA Port Talbot and YMCA Barry to discuss youth work with Assembly Members.
• YMCA Port TalbotminorOthersFellow Welsh YMCA organization. Visited Senedd together along with YMCA Cardiff and YMCA Barry to discuss youth work with Assembly Members.
• YMCA BarryminorOthersFellow Welsh YMCA organization. Visited Senedd together along with YMCA Cardiff and YMCA Port Talbot to discuss youth work with Assembly Members.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Centrepoint: UK charity focused on youth homelessness and housing support for 16-25 year olds. Overlaps with YMCA Swansea's housing referral work and detached youth work targeting at-risk youth including those facing exploitation.
• The Children's Society: National UK charity working with disadvantaged children including young carers and at-risk youth. Directly comparable service lines with YMCA Swansea's Young Carers Service and youth support programs.
• Catch22: UK social justice charity delivering youth services, alternative education, and exploitation prevention. Comparable to YMCA Swansea's Y-HUB (targeting County Lines and exploitation risks) and detached youth work model.
• Carers Trust: UK charity supporting unpaid carers including young carers, operating a network of local carer centers. Directly comparable to YMCA Swansea's Young Carers Service and partnership with Swansea Carers Centre.
• YMCA Cardiff: Fellow Welsh YMCA organization delivering youth work and community services in Cardiff. Directly comparable as part of the same national network, serving similar youth segments and engaging in joint advocacy (e.g., Senedd appearances) with YMCA Swansea.
• YMCA Port Talbot: Welsh YMCA peer in the adjacent Neath Port Talbot region. Operates in the same geographic catchment as YMCA Swansea's regional services and collaborates on Welsh youth work advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, operating across child welfare, young carers, and youth support. Listed as a partner of YMCA Swansea and competes for the same Welsh Government and lottery grant funding for youth services.
• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity offering employment skills, education, and personal development programs for 11-30 year olds. Comparable in mission focus on disadvantaged youth and in competing for similar grant funding streams across the UK.
• National Youth Agency: UK-wide body supporting youth work quality, training standards, and policy. Comparable as the overarching professional infrastructure for youth work that YMCA Swansea operates within, including JNC-recognized qualifications.

Emerging players

• Groundwork UK: UK federation of community regeneration charities running youth programs alongside health/wellbeing and training. Comparable community-hub model with multi-service delivery and venue hire elements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ymcaswansea
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@everydayyoungcarers4728
• Facebookfacebook.com/YMCASwansea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swansea-ymca

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swansea Ymca