Our Mobile Community Y Bus is on the Roads

Here at YMCA North Tyneside, we have just unveiled our brand-new Community Y Bus at our Picnic in the Park event! This marks the exciting start of a new chapter for us, drastically expanding the vital work we can undertake directly within our communities.

If you’ve spent any time in rural County Durham, you already know how beautiful it is with its rolling landscapes and hidden wonders. But for a young person, it can also be extremely isolating. Poor public transport links and limited local resources often result in a severe lack of dedicated youth services in these rural areas.

We firmly believe that every young person has a right to access support, fun, and community—regardless of what their geography might limit. So, we are taking action. Starting soon, we will be travelling out to rural villages across County Durham in our brand-new youth club on wheels!

It’s a fully equipped, cosy campervan designed to bring the best parts of a youth club straight to the countryside. Whether parked up on a village green, a windy hillside, or outside a community hall, the Y Bus is a safe, warm space where young people can hang out.

Inside and around the bus, we’re bringing:

• Most importantly for young people, we are bringing safe, trusted and professional adults for young people to engage with. 
• A warm environment to meet our youth workers, get advice, or just vent about life.
• Outdoor fun and creative projects, to a place to grab a hot drink and a snack.
• Helping young people tap into resources, advice, and opportunities they might otherwise miss out on.

It allows our youth and community team to meet young people on their own turf, breaking down the barriers of travel costs and scheduling. No agendas, no expectations—just reliable, friendly faces showing up right where they are needed most.

The Y Bus is our way of saying: We see you, we value you, and we’re on our way.

The Y Bus will be hitting the road soon, but we need your local knowledge to make the biggest impact. If you are a young person, parent, or parish councillor in rural County Durham, we want to hear from you! If there’s a spot in your community where young people gather and could use a visit from the Y Bus, let us know.