Our CEO, Phillipa Spicer, would like to wish everyone a joyful festive season. Read below, or watch her video here.
“As we come to the end of 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been a meaningful and encouraging year for YMCA Fairthorne Group.
This year has asked a great deal of our teams. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, colleagues have continued to deliver vital support for children, young people and families – sometimes in complex and changing circumstances. What has stood out most is the care, professionalism and determination shown across the organisation, as we have welcomed more people into our services and continued to strengthen the quality of what we provide.
Through our youth services teams have continued to support young people at risk of homelessness through safe accommodation, alongside wellbeing and mental health support, and opportunities to build confidence and skills for the future. At any one time, we provide accommodation for young people across our services, supported by a wider approach that increasingly focuses on prevention, outreach and post-move-on support. Alongside this, we proudly marked the 25th anniversary of the Young Carers Festival, welcoming around 1,000 young carers for a weekend of rest, fun and connection. Moments like these remind us why creating space for young people to simply be children matters so deeply.
In Early Years, we saw continued stability and growth. Occupancy across our nurseries reached its highest level since before the pandemic, reflecting the trust families place in our teams. Supporting over 1,360 children and delivering more than 880,000 hours of early years care, colleagues have remained focused on inclusion, child wellbeing and high-quality practice. This work aligns closely with the updated Ofsted inspection framework and reinforces our commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life.
Across our community and activity services, delivery remained steady and responsive to local need. Our centres continue to act as welcoming hubs where families, children and young people can access support, build connections and feel part of their community. These services play an important role in prevention, early support and strengthening community wellbeing.
None of this work happens in isolation. It is made possible by the collective effort of our people – staff and volunteers alike. Our teams continue to show compassion, resilience and professionalism every day, supported by ongoing investment in wellbeing, leadership and development. This year, volunteers contributed over 45,000 hours across the charity, extending our reach and strengthening our impact in meaningful ways.
As we look ahead to 2026, our focus is on building on this strong foundation. We will continue to strengthen youth and Early Years services through innovation and partnership, develop our workforce through initiatives such as the planned Early Years Academy, and extend our reach within communities to meet evolving needs. Importantly, we will do this together – learning, adapting and supporting one another as we go.
Thank you to everyone who has played a part in our work this year. From our staff, volunteers, partners to our supporters and the communities we serve. The impact we create is shared, and it is something we can all be proud of.
– Phillipa Spicer, Chief Executive Officer, YMCA Fairthorne Group
