KIDS of all ages will be able to discover the power of their senses after the doors were finally opened at the newly refurbished Renfrew YMCA building.

The charity temporarily shut its Canal Lane building way back at the start of last year, with plans in place to overhaul the inside with a variety of sensory equipment to help kids who needed extra support.

It was hoped staff would be able to welcome young people back three to four months later.

However, when it was discovered extra work needed to be done on the roof just before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the project was severely delayed.

But much to the relief of the team, kids can now have a whale of a time exploring tastes, smells, images and sounds with the £150,000 makeover now complete.

Interactive equipment can be found in every corner of every room and it’s all in aid of making sure every child, including those with additional support needs (ASN), can feel safe and secure while in the charity’s care.

Samantha Gillan, YMCA manager, said: “It’s an amazing relief to finally get the building open.

“It was very frustrating being closed for so long. When we took the ceiling down we found the beams were compromised and then we had to seek extra funding and do extra works so everything just took a bit longer with Covid as well.

“To get back in the building and to put our own stamp on it is great.

“We have got a project called In It Together which works with young people with additional support needs but also those who don’t but still need extra help with things like anxiety or depression.

“We only had a small sensory room and we did some consultations which showed having sensory equipment in every room would allow the full integration of young people.

“There are a lot of services which help kids with ASN but we want to be a mainstream service that includes young people with ASN in what we do.”

The pieces of sensory equipment include an aromatherapy box – where you can press buttons and discover different smells – light displays, and a tilting interactive board.

There’s also a soft cube that controls the colour of the lights on the ceiling, hoops with different facial expressions on them to help kids understand emotions better and a wall snake made out of lots of different materials so children can explore how each one feels.

Funding from the likes of Wooden Spoon, the Robertson Trust and private donors also helped with the installation of a kitchen which has given the building a more homely feel where kids can get stuck into cooking and cleaning.

Samantha said every piece of equipment would help children feel more at ease in the environment, no matter what their background is.

“We did a lot of research into the sensory equipment,” she added.

“With the pandemic as well, we had to change how we were going to do things a bit because we had to have a lot less stuff you could physically touch. We’ve got a lot more wall-mounted stuff now.

“The aromatherapy box is helpful for kids who have been abused and are triggered by certain smells. It’s all about creating a space where if there’s anything that’s a problem for them, such as a smell, they can come in and feel safe.

“It’s all about making sure they feel relaxed and secure so they can take part in the things we do.

“We now have a kitchen as well so it’s now a bit more like a home so young people can come in and cook and clean, anything they want.

“We’ve also got a washing machine and that’s important because we do a lot of outdoor play.

“One of the barriers for young people taking part in outdoor play is parents will spend a lot of money on clothes, so the idea of the kids going outdoors and ruining them is not practical. So now we provide clothes for them and, at the end of the session, we can bung them in the machine.”

Renfrew YMCA works with around 90 children aged from zero to 25 throughout each week running a variety of activities.

As well as being there for families during the holidays and after-school, the charity also runs child psychology sessions for parents, works with all the primary and secondary schools to teach youngsters about managing anxiety and takes kids on trips around the world.

To find out more call 0141 886 3030 or visit the Renfrew YMCA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/renfrewymca2011.