Our Story
Our Story
In 2009, John and Sylvia Gilmour made the extraordinary gesture of giving 20 acres of land and a 40-acre lake to develop Whitemoor Lakes. This unique complex, featuring Scandinavian-style buildings, was envisioned to transform the lakes created from sand and gravel extraction into a training and activity centre. Under the capable stewardship of NAYC/ ACUK, Whitemoor Lakes officially opened its doors on October 3, 2011.
Who We Are
Operated by ACUK (Action Centres Ltd), trading company of NAYC (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs) charity, Whitemoor Lakes is dedicated to unlocking the potential of every child or individual who enters its doors.
Since inauguration in 2011, we have welcomed over 400,000 young people from diverse faith, community, youth, schools, and special needs groups. Whitemoor Lakes has rapidly gained a reputation as a symbol of quality, safety, and enjoyment among all our customers.
Additionally, Whitemoor Lakes has expanded and earned high recommendations as a training centre for our Firm Foundation instructor training gap year program. This initiative aims to prepare young adults for the world of work, providing industry-standard qualifications, fostering personal growth, and empowering them to unlock their potential and the potential of the young people who visit us.
Our Christian Values and Believes
At Whitemoor Lakes, we collectively embrace a shared vision for the future — fostering sustainable growth, hosting an increasing number of school, youth & church residential programs, and establishing ourselves as a premier conference, outdoor training, and water sports centre on local, regional, national, and international fronts.
The unwavering commitment, tireless efforts, energy and enthusiasm of our dedicated staff and trainees form the cornerstone of our achievements. Consistently upholding high standards, contributing significantly to our ongoing success and solid reputation for delivering top-notch services. This has resulted in an outstanding 97% satisfaction rate among guests visiting the centre.
Our values trace their origins to the beginnings of the NAYC charity. Our primary goal is to aid, support, and educate young people, with a particular focus on fostering physical, mental and spiritual development leading to their full maturity as individuals. Residential experiences serve as transformative opportunities for young individuals to cultivate a positive outlook on the future.
Our initiatives extend a helping hand to those facing adversity — individuals living in poverty, challenging circumstances, at-risk youth, those with disabilities, special needs, and coping with serious, life-threatening illnesses. Through our programs, we aim to empower them to develop qualities such as character, independence, teamwork, and self-confidence, effectively breaking the chain of boredom, truancy, vandalism, addiction, petty crime, and drugs.
All our facilities are purposefully designed to positively impact people’s lives. This holds true not only for young individuals but also for conferences and groups utilising our centres to unite people, provide training, education, and study opportunities, sow the seeds of positive change, and break the monotony of daily routines with a visit to Whitemoor Lakes.
Action Centres and NAYC
NAYC (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs) and ACUK (Action Centres UK Ltd), our trading company. ACUK oversees and manages several activity, conference, sports and training centres, including King’s Park Conference Centre, King’s Park Sports, Pioneer Centre and Whitemoor Lakes.
The surplus generated by ACUK through the operation of these centres serves as a vital source of support for NAYC’s charitable endeavours. This unique structure allows us to extend our reach beyond Northamptonshire, impacting communities, young people and individuals across various regions, while ensuring a sustainable flow of resources to fulfil our charitable mission.
Together we are committed to make a positive and far-reaching impact on the lives of young people and communities – releasing their potential!
Since 1961 we have stood firm on our mission to help and educate young people through leisure-time activities. Over the years we have been the forerunner of many different initiatives to help and support young people.
NAYC Youthwork
NAYC plays a pivotal role as an infrastructure organisation in Northamptonshire, delivering crucial youth services to the Voluntary VCSFE sector. We actively collaborate with our members in local communities to address the needs of young people. Our dedicated Youthwork Team is engaged in supporting essential work across four primary workstreams: Youth Provision, Activities Delivery, Volunteer Training, and Young People’s Leadership.
Find out more about our work here.
NAYC and Discovery Centre Uganda
This unique facility was born out of a vision of NAYC to develop a centre based on similar principles to their centre in the UK, but expressed in a way that is relevant to a third world situation. The centre overlooks Lake Victoria in very beautiful grounds extending to over 20 acres.
Interested? Find out more here.
