The Queen Mother presided over the opening of Stockton’s YMCA in 1968. This photograph shows the Queen Mother being presented with a print of Queen Elizabeth II.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The Queen Mother presided over the opening of Stockton’s YMCA in 1968. This photograph shows the Queen Mother being presented with a print of Queen Elizabeth II.
I was a YMCA member at the old building in Dovecoat St, Derek, and enjoyed the sports facilities at the new site on Church Rd. I played in the clubs table tennis teams and there was also a snooker room with three full size tables on the first floor..I left the town in the early 1970s and was shocked to hear the YMCA had been demolished.
My mother was a cleaner in the YMCA. Her photo was in the Gazette, I think there was 3 other ladies all with mops and buckets taken with the Queen Mother. If anyone has a copy I would love to have one as my mother has just passed away this week
My grandfather Everett Jones was presented to the Queen Mother at the opening of the YMCA but does not appear in the picture. This followed his work with the Literary and Philosophical Society which joined with the YMCA in their new premises in 1968, a year prior to my grandfather’s death.
Yes the gymnast was called Angus McDonald who was injured, they named a five a side football competition in the Stockton Y.M.C.A. after him.
Was it at the opening display that a YMCA member had an accident whilst trampolining and was seriously injured? I am sure I read something about it at the time.
The apparent present to The Queen Mother of a PRINT of a picture of her daughter sounds rather off the mark. Perhaps the situation was reversed : the QM was presenting it to the YMCA?
Out of interest; many long time (at that time) YMCA members left the Association just before the new building, which was near Stockton Baths, was opened. This was because the sports and community facilities, which members had always enjoyed in the Dovecot Street YMCA, were never replaced by anything in the new building. The new building was poorly used by YMCA members. It saw use by the Vietnam boat people but closed shortly afterwards.