YMCA pledges to upgrade flats to improve efficiency

THE Henley YMCA has developed plans to retrofit its 24-year-old units with upgrades to make them more energy efficient.

The first stage involves adding new insulation, increasing it from 100mm to 300mm, and installing a ducting ventilation system in each of the 31 flats on its Lawson Road estate.

Chief executive Lisa Grant said the flats, built in 2000, were not designed to withstand large fluctuations in temperature brought on by climate change.

She said: “The rooms can get quite cool but in the summer, when it’s really hot, they get very hot. Because we’re putting more insulation in, that means it will be more airtight, which will generate condensation and small outbreaks of mould.

“In order to compensate for that, we’re then putting in a new ventilation system which is on demand. This means it will turn on as soon as it identifies that the humidity is too high and it needs to be extracted.”

The charity also wants to upgrade the heating systems to more efficient and modern storage heaters. She says this will help reduce bills for tenants and improve the energy ratings of the rooms.

Mrs Grant said: “We’re currently a D, so the insulation won’t take us up a band but the heating would. The last government was talking about changing the EPC ratings up to a minimum of a C.

“We will wait to see if the new government will revisit that but it’s also something that we’ve got to bear in mind, is how can we get these buildings up to that level.”

The wet rooms also needed to be upgraded with repairs needed to disintegrating lino and any water leaks.

Mrs Grant says because of prohibitive costs, the wet rooms, along with the heating, will have to be “long-term plans”.

The ballpark figure quoted to embark on all the improvements is about £230,000. The cost to upgrade the wet rooms alone was £6,500 per room.

The charity has raised £30,000 so far, which includes a donation from the Laing Trust, which will allow it to undertake the insulation and ventilation work now.

Mrs Grant said: “At the moment we cannot afford to do the heating because we need to have some reserves left in the event of unforeseen circumstances.” They are applying to Charity Bank for a green loan to be able to do the environmental upgrades. They have also looked at applying to South Oxfordshire District Council for a capital grant but would have to put off the heating upgrades until next year as the grants do not apply retrospectively.

Mrs Grant, along with Rosemary Duckett, who chairs the trustees of Henley YMCA, has been applying to trust funds for donations but they have found it difficult to meet certain criteria. This usually concerns meeting a certain threshold of tenants from certain demographics.

Mrs Grant said: “We meet some of them, but not others. Yes, we’re 18 to 35, but, is it care leavers? We do have care leavers but 75 per cent of our population are not care leavers. Do we have people who are neurodiverse? LGBT? Yes, we do, but we don’t have the percentages they are looking for, and that’s largely because we only have 31 tenants. There are also lots of us out there competing for limited funds.”

The Henley YMCA started in 1857 and provides housing for young people aged between 18 and 35, as well as providing support services to encourage young people into either education or employment.

Residents with significant mental health challenges also have access to a funded counselling service. Tenants can also participate in various weekly activities including pickle ball, crochet, and table tennis.

Mrs Duckett said: “We usually have a turnaround of about 12 tenants a year, who will move on mostly voluntarily. So we’re helping roughly 50 people per year.”

The site also has a tiger turf five-a-side football pitch and a pavilion that is used to offer community classes including tai chi, yoga and pilates.

Mrs Duckett sees potential in refurbishing the pavilion and green spaces for additional uses but is seeking feedback as to how the space could be best utilised.

She said: “There isn’t any accommodation like this in the county really. Oxfordshire youth have some supported accommodation but it is shared.”

The Henley YMCA previously launched a successful bid to fundraise £300,000 to purchase the lease on the accommodation.

In 2013, YMCA England announced it would be relinquishing management and ownership of its properties to focus on its work at a national level.

In addition to a £100,000 loan from Henley Town Council and a £170,000 loan from the district council, the YMCA managed to raise £300,000 in donations to buy the lease.