Helping YMCA Lakeside build a space for outdoor education
A vision in harmony with nature
Located on the edge of Lake Windermere at Newby Bridge, the new YMCA Lakeside School & Youth building provides hostel-style accommodation for schools and youth groups. The state-of-the-art facility includes 250 beds, classrooms, drying rooms, and a large communal dining space - all with panoramic views of the lake and surrounding woodlands.
The brief: functional, durable and in keeping with the landscape
AJ Products was invited to supply furniture for the new youth centre. The brief was clear: products had to be tough enough for heavy daily use but also visually aligned with the building’s natural aesthetic.
In addition to durability and design, the furniture also had to be affordable and delivered in coordination with building contractors, ensuring everything arrived just as the rooms were ready to be furnished.
The solution: toughtful, coordinated product selection
We knew it would be key to provide products that were all in keeping with the location, the building and the materials, so two AJ Products team members went to visit the site in the Lake District in February 2019 to ensure we fully understood the requirements. The biggest part of the project involved seating: more than 300 chairs were needed for various rooms in the building including the dining room and classrooms. The chairs supplied have an all wooden construction to match the exterior materials used for the build with a durability and sturdiness that will withstand continuous use in a busy communal area.
YMCA Lakeside also needed a number of other essentials to complete their rooms. Thanks to AJ’s extensive range, we were able to supply:
- Reception desk chairs
- Folding tables for the rooms to be used as classrooms or group rooms
- Bins and wall clocks
- Whiteboards
- Personalised entrance mats
All items were delivered over a three-day period, carefully timed to work around construction schedules. Our team returned in June to follow up on the installation and ensure complete customer satisfaction.
The result: A welcoming, practical space that exceeds expectations
In August 2019, AJ Products was invited to the official opening of the new facility. The transformation was incredible. The finished space delivers on every level: the dining room has become a centrepiece, with timber chairs blending seamlessly into the panoramic lake views. The other furniture supplied is equally important and has surpassed the YMCA’s expectations. Further orders have already followed.
Steve Scott, Senior Manager of Outdoor Education at YMCA Lakeside was happy to share his thoughts. "It has been a pleasure working with the team from AJ Products. Throughout the development of our project the team has been on hand to help us select from a broad range of applicable products and, in many cases, suggest items we hadn’t even considered!"
He continued: "It was great to be able to fire over emails with requests and questions and to receive rapid responses with suggestions and quotes. This really helped us stay on budget, which as a charity was a huge influencing factor. We were not the easiest of clients, not really knowing what we needed but knowing we have a very tight budget with which to work. The team was very understanding and able to help us balance value and quality."
"We are very proud of our new building and the products selected from AJ Products really compliment the design. They have really helped us bring our development from the drawing board to reality."
"Being part of a wider network of YMCAs, I have already recommended the services of AJ Products to colleagues across the organisation and have full faith that the team at AJ Products will be able to support the work of the YMCA throughout the country," said Steve.
We at AJ Products would like to say that it’s been a pleasure working with Steve and his colleagues. We hope to be able to repeat this success at other YMCA projects in the future.
