Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)
YHA logo
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| Abbreviation | YHA (England & Wales) |
|---|---|
| Formation | 10 April 1930 |
| Type | Voluntary sector |
| Legal status | Company limited by guarantee |
| Purpose | Youth accommodation and education |
| Headquarters | Matlock, Derbyshire |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 53°8′31″N 1°33′40″W / 53.14194°N 1.56111°W |
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Region served
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England and Wales |
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Membership
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Individuals and community groups |
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Chairman
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Chris Darmon |
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Staff
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1500 |
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Volunteers
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3000 |
| Website | http://www.yha.org.uk |
The Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales) is a charitable organisation, registered with the Charity Commission, providing youth hostel accommodation in England and Wales. It is a member of the Hostelling International federation.
The whole concept of youth hostels was started in Germany in 1909 by Richard Schirrmann and it took 20 years for the ideas to reach fruition in the United Kingdom. In 1929/30 several groups almost simultaneously formed to investigate establishing youth hostels in the UK. Foremost among these was the Merseyside Centre of the British Youth Hostels Association. On 10 April 1930 representatives of these bodies met and agreed to form the British Youth Hostels Association. Shortly afterwards it became the Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales) with separate associations for Scotland (Scottish Youth Hostels Association) and Northern Ireland (Hostelling International Northern Ireland). Ever since its inception it has been known as YHA using the abbreviation YHA (E&W) when necessary to distinguish it from other associations.
As its charitable objective YHA stated it as
To help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside, particularly by providing hostels or other simple accommodation for them in their travels, and thus to promote their health, rest and education.
The first hostel to open was at Pennant Hall near Llanrwst in North Wales. Opened in December 1930, it closed in 1931 due to problems with the water supply. The water came from a nearby brook but this was contaminated by sewage from the farm next door. As was commented at the time:-
[the farmer] saw no sin in mixing manure with drinking water.
1931 saw the first widespread opening of hostels and by the end of 1931 75 hostels had opened although at the end of the year 15 closed their doors not to reopen. The price of an overnight stay was 1/- (1 shilling) in every case. Annual membership was 5/- for Seniors and 2/6 for Juniors. Life membership was available for 3 guineas (£3 3s). Of the hostels opened in 1931, two remain open, Idwal Cottage and Street.
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