YHAgroup.org.uk

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.

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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!

Independent hostelling website Hostelworld announced the winners of their annual “Hoscar” awards in a ceremony held in Dublin last week. Based on the votes of visitors to their site, these awards pick out the best of the more than 15,000 hostels that they list.

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The 2008 Local Groups’ Conference is nearing the deadline for those wishing to stay at Milton Keynes hostel. Any group that wishes to go should fill in a booking form and get it off to Paul Madge asap.

As part of the £13.5 million plans announced last week, YHA have appointed design consultancy Blacksheep to develop “interior concepts” for up to 37 of it properties, according to a report in Design Week.

These concepts will be based around five themes: city, coastal, country, activities and heritage. In addition, finished designs will need to push the YHA brand whilst reflecting the individual character of each property. No simple task then!

We looked at part of the YHA’s mission statement,’ says Blacksheep senior designer Kylie Holton, ‘and have drawn out four things that we will apply – integrity, inclusivity, a useful element and a sense of value. There are different ways we can go about these things. There must be longevity in the design, with a natural look which can be reflected in the graphics. County schemes will be featured, such as moose heads made out of timber. We are looking towards a kind of “budget chic”.

Tempting though it is to snigger about wooden moose heads, I think that it’s good to see YHA investing in the design of its hostels - maybe it will tackle issues like the lack of ambience The Guardian found at National Forest last month. I just hope they don’t allow form to override function, members’ kitchens and drying rooms may not be chic but they’re vital to what hostelling is about.