YHAgroup.org.uk

Sam Dalley of the Backpackers’ Press writes:

One of our member hostels has pointed out to me that YHA local groups are short of accommodation which is available to individuals and small groups in the winter.

There are over 250 Independent Hostels in the UK and over 95% of them stay open all year.

Full details of all these hostels are in the Independent Hostel Guide which retails for £4.95.

I would be glad to offer these guides for free (while stocks last) to any local group member who sends 5 second class stamps to cover the postage.

I’ve seen a copy of the guide and it’s quite impressive, listing 275 hostels across the UK plus a further 50 in Ireland and continental Europe. If you want to take Sam up on this kind offer, send your stamps to:

Backpackers Press
Speedwell House
Upperwood
Matlock Bath
Derbyshire
DE4 3PE

Potential independent hostellers should also visit the recently remodelled Independent Hostel Guide web site, where the same information can be found online. The site isn’t perfect, but there’s a a thing or two YHA could learn from it.

Whatever happened to Youth Hostels? asks an article in monday’s Times. One of their reporters has visited the new London Central hostel and found, instead of the drafty dormitories and cold showers that she appears to have expected, something more suitable for the 21st century:

While YHA hasn’t abandoned it’s principles of dorm bedrooms, bunk beds, a kitchen, and long tables for communal dining; it’s the internet cafe and bar that’s now the hub of the hostel, not the stove and the kitchen sink.

Bright furniture, bold artwork, big screens playing music videos and a vast back-lit map of the Underground decorate the walls of the open-plan reception and cafe.

I’m sure there are readers of this site who will blanch at the thought of music videos blasting away full time, but this is supposed to be a youth organisation, and I don’t think it’s inappropriate in this type of hostel. I wouldn’t expect to see such things in a countryside hostel (not great for our carbon footprint, is it?) .

It’s only a short article, but more postive press for the Association can’t be bad. Anybody here stayed at London Central?

Twelve groups took part in the 2007 President’s Awards and the judges were pleased to see a high standard of entries again.

The President’s Awards were introduced in 1985 to recognise the work that local groups do for the YHA and 2007 was the twenty-third year of the awards.

Three-quarters of the eight categories have been won by a different group from last year, and as usual each of the categories will be presented before moving on to the overall results.

Continue reading…

Saffron Walden YH is the oldest inhabited building in the picturesque Essex town, but also (apparently) its most haunted one. Just what form this haunting might take is unclear, but hostellers have been offered the chance to find out.

According to a story in the Saffron Walden Reporter, an outfit called London Paranormal will be investigating spooky goings on at the hostel, and inviting members of the public to join them - provided they can materialise a fee of £59 each!

The final version of the agenda for next month’s Affiliated Groups’ Conference has just been published. If you’re going, I’ll see you in Milton Keynes!

The succession of horrific news stories from Jersey have been giving YHA’s name some unwanted exposure in recent weeks, so it’s good to see some more positive associations. A double review of Whitby and Hartington has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, assessing the hostels’ potential for family holidays.

Continue reading…

Coldingham Sands YH, one of the seven earmaked for closure by the SYHA last year, could be saved if the local community have their way. According to a report in the Berwickshire News, the sale of the hostel has been suspended whilst local people attempt a buy-out under Community Right to Buy legislation. Residents have 21 days to convince Scottish ministers of their case.

If given the go-ahead, they’ll then have about six months to fully develop their business case and raise the necessary funding. Either way, the hostel will be closed for the 2008 season.

Leading the new community company is Ged Hearn, who already has big plans:

The hostel is already heavily used in summer and we know that with careful adaptation its use can be extended throughout the year […] The plan is to run it as a hostel and we hope to affiliate to the YHA and advertise with them.

Mr Hearn doesn’t have to look far across the border for inspiration. Both Wooler and Greenhead are thriving under private ownership after having been written off by the YHA. Let’s see if Coldingham can follow suit.

It’s not exactly mass media, but the Borehamwood & Elstree Times has just published an article extolling the many virtues of YHA hostels. They make a pretty good job of pointing out the benefits of hostelling - the variety of buildings, the facilities available at today’s hostels, the fact that they welcome people of all ages.

I don’t know whether this article came from Matlock, or if some Borehamwood journalist just likes youth hostelling, but the good press is to be welcomed. Groups might find this article useful in their own publicity.

It’s just a shame they didn’t mention nearby YHA Local Groups in Barnet and St Albans…

Up at Black Sail YH, the current hostel managers are putting together a history of the hostel and a list of its previous wardens. If you’re a former staff member, volunteer or visitor to the hostel able to contribute names, dates, photos or other information, they’d like to hear from you at blacksailmanager@yha.org.uk

Meanwhile, at the other end of the country, the new owners of what was once Steps Bridge YH (now known as Blytheswood) have a similar request:

Hello,

We are the new owners of Blytheswood and are interested in finding out more about its history. We are keen to contact anyone who knows it, visited it or lived there as warden or volunteer. It would be fanatastic to see any old photos, hear stories etc.

Thanks

Tracey and Patrick,

PS: We intend to carry on running it as a hostel after a little upgrading.

Send any info you have to blytheswood@blueyonder.co.uk (I’m sure many will be pleased to hear they’re keeping it as a hostel).

I think it’s a good thing that hostels are looking to their history. An appreciation of times past, perhaps illustrated with some well presented wall displays, can add to the character of a hostel. If room can be found amongst the wooden moose heads that is…

I’ve been putting it off for months, but I’ve finally upgraded the software which runs this site to the latest version of Wordpress - version 2.3.3. As the functions of the site have been fairly heavily augmented from the standard set-up, there’s a chance that some features will be broken by this process.

Can you please let me know if anything on the site isn’t working properly. If I don’t know about it, i can’t fix it!