We were fortunate to be selected as one of the Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, Cllr Richard Mantle’s, chosen charities for his year in office – and what a year it has been!

Garden Party:  Saturday 20^th June

Held at the Mayor’s house and included bouncy castle, lunch and games for the children.  Such was the success that a second Garden Party has been scheduled for later in the year.

South Downs Trek: Sunday 16^th August

The Mayor, Mayoress and Deputy Mayor and 5 of their friends, joined 50 challenge participants, trekking the South Downs and finished in plenty of time for refreshments!

Quiz Night:  Saturday 10^th October

A full house saw the cleverest teams from Reigate and Banstead Borough Council take on teams form RRYMCA in the quiz to beat all quizzes!  10 teams of 8 took part and ‘The Young Wizards’ team won.  Prizes for the winners and the rest enjoyed plates of home cooked chilli and curry provided by the Mayoress, Mrs Ruth Mantle.

The Screening of UP:  Saturday 17^th October

A private screening of this popular and Oscar nominated film which took place at the Harlequin Theatre in Redhill.  VIP tickets for 30 local families made the whole occasion extremely memorable.

Curry Night at the Mela:  Wednesday 2^nd December

70 friends, family and colleagues of the Mayor and RRYMCA enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Mela (the best curry in Redhill!), which finished with an auction of a book signed by Lewis Hamilton, one of our supporters.

Santa Run:  Sunday 10^th December

250 Santas descended on Priory Park to take part in the first ever YMCA Santa Run last December.  With 3 mile and 1 mile routes for runners over 5 years of age, all entries received their very own Santa suit! The event raised over £1,000.

Mayoress Ruth Mantle said “We had so many entries that we completely ran out of Santa suits and I can see this becoming a popular annual event!”

Coffee Morning:  Thursday 11^th February 2010

The Mayor and Mayoress hosted a Coffee Morning in the Council Chambers  in honour of our Fit for Life project which provides vital activity and exercise for adults with disability or suffering from chronic  illness that improves their quality of life. 45 people attended and raised over £800.

Channel Challenge:  Sunday 21^st February

We attempted to cross the Channel from Dover to Calais in our very own Sports Hall at the YMCA.   8 teams of 10 took turns on concept rowers totalling 34,000 metres.  Both the Mayor and the YMCA entered teams, with the Mayor’s Team (which included someone looking remarkable professional! With a GB flag on his polo shirt) coming a respectable fourth and the YMCA managing 7^th.  Unfortunately neither of us could keep up with the fire brigade who notched up a winning time of 1 hour 56 minutes, quite amazing and comforting to know our safety is in such capable hands!

Bike it to Paris (3rd-5th June 2010

The Mayor and Mayoress, along with the Deputy Mayor, battled the heat to cycle 175 miles over three days from Redhill to Paris. The bike ride was one of a series of challenge events organised by R&R Y MCA which run throughout the summer to help raise vital funds for local community projects. Click here to read more.

Corporate support of charities has been shown to improve employee morale, boost productivity and encourage greater team working.