THE FIGHT TO BUILD TOWN’S FIRST YMCA
For decades, the once grand YMCA building has dominated the part of Stepney Street which fronts on to Town Hall Square in Llanelli. Now, new plans have been unveiled for its revival. Plans for Llanelli’s first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) were launched in 1909, the same year the Llanelli Star was founded, as CAROLINE STREEK of Llanelli Community Heritage reports . . .
ONE of the driving forces behind the construction of the Llanelli YMCA was a Christian determination to “counteract the degrading clubs in this and other towns.”
The seeds of the YMCA Building had been sown on February 17, 1909.
It was reported in the South Wales Press that plans had been deposited with the Surveyor of ‘Llanelly Urban Council’ and were to be considered at a meeting of the Health Committee that evening.
The reporter noted that the fact that the building was expected to cost between £6000 and £7000 (£645,00 and £752,500 as estimated in today’s money) proved that it would be a substantial one, and that a “fine swimming bath” was to be included.
The architect was Mr. William Griffiths of Falcon Chambers, Llanelly. The contractor was Mr. T. P. Jones, South Wales Stores, Llanelly.
By May of 1909 a committee had been formed and a meeting convened for May 13 presided over by Mr J Wesley Jones, in response to a notice circulated in the town.
“The time has now arrived ... when a final effort will have to be made to secure additional subscriptions of £500 (£53,754) if the proposal to build a Young Men’s Christian Association Hall in this town is to be carried to a successful issue,” he said.
“It has been decided not to commence building until the sum of £3,500 (£376,245) is promised in subscriptions. The amount now promised is £3,000 leaving £500 still to be obtained.”
The contract was to be divided into two sections, the first to include three lock-up shops, lounge and reception hall, billiard room, parlour and hall accommodating 350, rooms for holding friendly society meetings, rooms for Bible study and Gospel meetings, rooms for strangers and visitors, caretaker’s apartments, and a gymnasium.
The second part of the contract would comprise a swimming bath which could be used as a large hall in the winter and one more shop.
Mr W W Brodie, chairman of the Finance Committee, said the cost of the first part of the scheme was estimated at £4,000 (£430,000). Subscriptions of £3,000, included £1,500 from general subscribers, £1000 from employees and £500 from Messrs Cory. Since funds were short by £500, a decision had to be made as to whether or not the committee were “justified in proceeding” before the previously agreed figure of £3,500 had been promised.
Clearly, a final fundraising effort was made because by November, 1909, with groundworks well advanced they were ready to lay the foundation stones – five of them.
The ceremony was scheduled for Saturday, November 6 and looked forward to with enthusiasm.
On the preceding Monday night, November 1, a Carnival was held, involving a torchlight procession through the town and a “smoker” or smoking concert in the “Market Pavilion – a more unsuitable place ... it would be difficult to find” according to one reporter.
At the laying of the foundation stones, Mr W W Brodie, Chairman of the Finance Committee, paid tribute to the fund-raising efforts.
He said that £3000 had already been subscribed,
and “The fact of the working men having joined in the scheme ... gave us confidence in asking the employers of labour to subscribe to the funds.
“It is not necessary go into the question ... of the moral responsibilities of employer and employed.
Suffice it to say that for our present purposes ... whatever tends to promote the physical and moral wellbeing, comfort and happiness of the employed must infallibly tend to the benefit of the employer.
“There is a duty cast upon the community to provide places where young men of all classes and religious denominations can meet under healthy and elevating conditions. It is only natural that they should desire to meet together. It is doubtless a persistent survival of the tribal instincts of the race and requires to be properly provided for.
“It is true that there are houses now licensed by law for the ... sale of certain beverages therein. But many people are of the opinion that some of them should be closed. I desire to express no opinion on it (laughter).”
Mr. Howard Williams, chairman of the British and Colonial Committee of the YMCA and son of George Williams, the founder of the movement, said that the YMCA ”offered welcome to every young man, and ... a home to those who were unfortunate in not having a home for themselves.”
They gave “every man an opportunity of living a clean, healthy life, and to be a God-fearing and loyal citizen of our Empire.”
They were “first and foremost a Christian Association”. The YMCA endeavoured to “inspire their members with the higher aims of life, and to make them good members, sterling friends, and dutiful sons.”
The opening ceremony took place on Saturday, March 18, 1910, some eight months later than originally hoped for, and was performed by Mrs Beaumont Thomas, who was presented with a golden key.
The Llanelly Mercury (newspaper) said: “It was a red-letter day in the annals of the YMCA movement inasmuch as the building was “the first of its kind to which the working-men have contributed weekly through their pay offices. The working-men readily agreed to contribute £1000, at the rate of a halfpenny (0.44p.) per head per week for a period of two years, provided they were represented on the management committee.
“As the result of the combined efforts of all classes of the community, a building with all the modern equipments (sic) has been erected at a cost of £4000, the cost of the furniture amounting to £500.” There was a deficit of £1500, but when that was liquidated the swimming bath and gymnasium were to be added.
The Inaugural Meeting, held after the formal opening ceremony, was chaired by Mr WY Nevill, the first president of
Llanelly YMCA.
He said that they now “had a building worthy of the name and he hoped it would be the means of bringing together men of all classes ... to form a united brotherhood”.
Their progress so far had been due to “much hard work and perseverance”, and Mr Wesley Jones said that it was “only through united action that the building had been erected”. They were determined to have something to “counteract the degrading clubs in this and other towns.”
Dr. Johns referred to the leisure hours of the young men.
“That was the danger,” he said, “for the devil found some mischief still for idle hands to do.”
The YMCA provided a valuable service to the young men of Llanelli for most of the 20th century. It did not accept women as members until the 1960s.
Edited version of article by Caroline Streek reproduced by kind permission of Llanelli Community Heritage - https://www.llanellich.org. uk/