About Us

What’s our purpose?

NAYC (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs) & ACUK (Action Centres UK) is a diverse non -profit organisation here to help and educate young people, especially, but not exclusively, through their leisure-time activities to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities that they may grow to full maturity as individuals and as members of society.

How do we achieve it?

Originally founded in Northampton, our work has expanded the facilitate youth work across the UK. This looks different across all our sites. We have a charitable youth association (NAYC) that focuses on Youth Development in Northamptonshire. In a nutshell, Youth Development assist the work of existing groups and help develop new groups. We have also developed 3 non-profit sites including King’s Park Sports, located in Northampton, this is a sports facility that include tennis courts, badminton courts, a climbing wall, trampolining, archery and more. These facilities serve young people, families and the local community. They provide a space that young people can have fun, develop their skills and grow in confidence. On the same site stands King’s Park Conference Centre, a centre developed initially to provide a space for youth leaders to come and recieve training. Now King’s Park Conference Centre supports organisations and leadership teams across the country. Finally we have two activity centres; Pioneer in Shropshire and Whitemoor Lakes in Staffordshire. The two centres were built to give youth groups a place to take their young people away on a residential trip where they could escape their busy lives and build strong lasting friendships whilst experiencing the outdoors. These centres have a variety of activities available between them including climbing, abseiling, high ropes, zip wire, caving, sailing, kayaking and more! The profits of our centres feed right back into the youthwork we do in Northamptonshire and beyond. 

What’s our history?

We’ve been supporting youth groups across Northamptonshire since 1961. We have pioneered opportunities for young people; organsing expeditions allowing young people to travel and explore the world, opening a hostel to help young men recover from crisis, founded a youth association in Bedforshire and developed activity centres across the UK. Some of those include Frontier Centre near Irthlingborough – now run by Rock UK; The Ranch Discovery Centre in North Wales – now run by CMC; and an Expedition Base on the Isle of Harris In the Outer Hebrides – now known as the Scaladale Centre and run in conjunction with the Lewis and Harris Youth Clubs Association. NAYC & ACUK also helped to envision and develop the Discovery Centre in Uganda which is run by Adventure Projects Trust and YWAM. 

Why are we passionate about releasing potential in young people?

The motivation of our work springs from the personal faith of the staff; a love of God issuing in a love for others. The aims and objectives of our work are to serve young people and their needs. We are open to all and so are not restrictive or exclusive.  We believe that God has put something special inside every one of us so we commit to releasing potential in all. 

Our Founding Principles

1. The motivation of our work springs from the personal faith of the staff. A love of God issuing a love for others.

2. The aims and objectives of our work are to serve young people and their needs rather than a mission to win their allegiance. To serve in Christ’s name all kinds of young people and not to be restrictive or exclusive. To serve in a completely open and secular setting.

3. Our aim has not been to ‘preach or convert’ but to serve and help. To achieve this we have had to provide ‘tools to do a job’. Our job is clear to us – the tools we have provided are services and centres. Attitudes often alienate adults from the young and create a generation gap. We have tried to offer, through service, centres and staff ‘un-judging friendship’, ‘non-judgemental attitudes’, ‘accepting love’, to create a bridge over the gap.

4. Our methods of fundraising. To depend, wherever possible, on direct giving rather than on money raising methods, for two reasons, (i) to set an example to the young people we seek to serve and lead, and (ii) to relieve our staff from time-consuming efforts, so that they can devote their time and energies to the real job in hand.

5. Faith. There has always been a deep element of faith throughout the life of the Association. A faith in people and a faith in God. A faith to believe that if something is needed and it is right and action is taken provision will be made for that something.

6. Responding to the need. The Association’s work has developed through an awareness of need and attempting to do something about meeting that need, often in cooperation with others.

7. The function of the staff. The Association has endeavored, over the years to appoint men and women to its staff who are committed to the Christian way of life and who feel a sense of dedication to their job. It has been found that then they can be trusted to get on with their job, with support and guidance.

8. The right kind of support. The Association has been blessed through the years with a Board that invested trust in the appointed full-time staff, who have filled a role of being supportive, encouraging and constructive in their guidance. This has been one of the main strengths of the Association.

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