This quickly became a regular gathering with other companies getting involved and so on June 6th 1844 it was named Young Men's Christian Association hence the birth of the first YMCA in Britain.
It was in November 1871 that plans to open a YMCA in Sunderland were first agreed, but it wasn't until February 1872 that the fledgling association opened its first meeting place in Borough Road.
Formed with the aim of helping young Wearsiders develop "healthy spirits, minds and bodies," the first members to flock through the doors were offered a mix of sporting and religious activities. "It was religion of the evangelical kind," the Echo reported in 1942 "There were bible classes and devotional meetings. A reading room with religious magazines and periodicals was also provided.