The history of Guildford YMCA goes back further than we thought! I inherited the belief that we started in 1894, but we were recently shown diary in which a Mr Candlin recorded that in 1877 the then secretary to Guildford YMCA had been in post 7 year - so we must go back to at least 1870, probably earlier. This has all been unearthed by an historian, Helen Davies who has produced a pictorial history of our Association.

It's been fantastic to track the development of the Young Men's Christian Association in our beautiful town, from a reading room in the Congregational Church Hall, through numerous premises and a variety of activities in peace and in war. It makes you realise that you are just one small link in a very long chain, and that something that is so often fragile endures. Perhaps there's someone watching over us. The photo depicts a Guildford YMCA band in the 60's that looks rather like the Beatles!