Recently, the Clean Network and the YMCA have formed a strategic partnership to enhance cleanliness, safety, and sustainability in the YMCA’s Tottenham Court Road and King’s Cross hubs.
This collaboration supports the YMCA’s mission of fostering well-being within the community, while The Clean Network delivers its expertise in eco-friendly cleaning solutions, creating healthier spaces for members and staff alike.
Right now, businesses are increasingly prioritising social responsibility and impact on the community – values which have been pumping through the blood of the YMCA for decades. The Clean Network shares the YMCA’s goals to create a brighter future for London’s diverse communities.
Charlie Harris, co-founder of The Clean Network, was excited to take on the partnership, especially with the opportunities it gives the company to align with the YMCA and their values.
“The YMCA is a social hub and they constantly give back to the people of London – it’s great to get involved with a company so focussed on the wider community,” Charlie stated.
The Clean Network
One of The Clean Network’s main missions is to help businesses act as a force for good when it comes to sustainability and social change, through their cleaning services.
Through chemical-free cleaning and ISO 14001 compliance, amongst other policies, The Clean Network work hard to uphold these high standards, together with the businesses they serve.
The Clean Network provide a wide range of services to companies in London, including:
- Air Vent & Duct Cleaning Services
- Bathroom & Toilet Cleaning Services
- Blinds & Curtains Cleaning Services
- Office Furniture & Desk Cleaning Services
- Floor & Carpet Cleaning Services
- Office Kitchen Cleaning
- Lobby & Reception Cleaning Services
- Post-construction Cleaning Services
- Exterior Cleaning Services
- Bin Cleaning Services
- Drain Cleaning Services
- Gutter & Roof Cleaning Services
- Pressure Cleaning Services
- Window Cleaning Services
With all of these services, The Clean Network aim to operate as sustainably as possible.
The Clean Network’s ever-growing list of clients includes several charities and companies geared towards community and social action, including the Salvation Army and Spire Healthcare.
As a National Living Wage employer dedicated to both employees and clients, The Clean Network continuously strive to make a positive impact in London.
The YMCA
Founded in 1844 to support youth and social development, the YMCA is a well-known organisation across the world. Since being set up, it has grown to be a worldwide non-profit, serving a wide range of diverse communities.
The YMCA has a long-standing commitment to supporting people with their physical, mental and social health – for example, their Tottenham Court Road and King’s Cross centres offer gym and pilates facilities, providing the community with a space to prioritise and work on their physical health and fitness. They also provide facilities and classes for the community, including group exercise, swimming, and personal training.
In terms of mental health, the YMCA have wellbeing programmes for people who are struggling. This includes peer support groups, stress-relief activities, and counselling.
Perhaps what the YMCA are most well-known for is their youth development, offering programmes such as after-school care, summer camps, and educational workshops, to guide the next generations in the right direction. They also connect children and young people with mentors, giving them the chance to grow their confidence and learn leadership and other skills.
Finally, the YMCA sets up activities and events for families in the community to encourage people to build friendships and bonds.
The Partnership: Goals and Objectives
In their partnership with the YMCA, The Clean Network are offering the organisation routine cleaning services in their Tottenham Court Road and King’s Cross centres, especially focussing on high-traffic areas and ensuring optimal hygiene throughout the fitness facilities and all other areas.
The Clean Network also provide the YMCA with deep cleaning and disinfection, prioritising high-touch surfaces. In addition, they use tailored cleaning methods and products for sports equipment and fitness facilities, ensuring the spaces are clean and safe for the community.
YMCA spaces are designed to be warm and welcoming to members, and The Clean Network’s services form a significant part of this.
By offering a clean and tidy environment in their fitness facilities, the YMCA is able to provide the community with a clean and inviting space, where people can focus on their physical health and fitness in a hygienic environment, which will also have a positive impact on their mental health.
The partnership between The Clean Network and the YMCA is achieved through open communication between the two organisations. This is achieved through regular check-ins and updates, which are an important part of what The Clean Network offers.
In fact, one of The Clean Network’s clients recently stated, “The Clean Network provide our spaces daily with a high level of cleaning, care and communication. Any issues that may arise are always swiftly communicated and handled attentively.”
Thus, through this open communication and the value The Clean Network is providing to the YMCA, this partnership is an exciting opportunity for both organisations.
Co-Founder Charlie Harris on the YMCA x The Clean Network
We sat down with Charlie Harris, co-founder of The Clean Network, to discuss the partnership between themselves and the YMCA.
What inspired The Clean Network to partner with the YMCA?
We firstly felt that the values of The Clean Network and the YMCA were massively aligned.
The Clean Network is all about sustainability and doing things in the most eco-friendly way possible – and the YMCA is committed to the same things. They put a lot of effort into their responsibility to the world and the environment – and this is something we related to a lot.
We also both value diversity and making sure that facilities are open and accessible to everyone in the community.
We really wanted to work together and collaborate, which was excellent to see – and we’re excited to see what happens in the future!
How do you see this partnership impacting the local community?
We expect to see quite a few positive impacts to the local community.
Making the YMCA’s facilities clean and tidy means they look much nicer and welcoming, meaning more people will want to come and join in with their activities.
We’re also helping to make sure we keep up the YMCA’s good reputation by making sure their spaces are presentable and uphold their great image.
We just want to get the community involved in the YMCA by maintaining their facilities and keeping up the high standard of hygiene in their centres.
What specific services will The Clean Network provide to the YMCA?
We’ll be providing the YMCA with regular cleaning services, incorporating protocols and schedules which focus on cleaning those higher-traffic areas and their fitness and sports equipment.
In line with what we always do and our shared values, we’ll do all this in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way, with the right type of cleaning products and methods.
What are your hopes for the future of this partnership?
I think there’s loads of exciting places this partnership could go.
Because we share so many values and goals, there’s a lot of things we could collaborate on – especially on the sustainability side of things.
At the moment, we’re happy to be offering our cleaning services for two of their centres, but with what we’ve put in place, the future opportunities are endless.
About the YMCA and The Clean Network’s Partnership
As Charlie explained to us, the YMCA and The Clean Network share a great deal of values and goals, being committed to the wider community and social change, as well as sustainability.
With the alignment of their missions, the organisations are able to enhance the hygiene in the YMCA’s centres and facilities, creating an environment where the community feels safe and welcomed.
They are continuing to maintain open and honest communication to enable efficient collaboration, creating an environment of mutual support and benefit, meaning The Clean Network can help the YMCA maintain high standards of cleanliness without a hitch.
As we touched on above, The Clean Network always prioritise proper communication, to ensure that they are able to provide the best cleaning services possible in an efficient and professional manner, and their 95% contract renewal rate demonstrates their clients’ satisfaction with this.
Charlie was elated when The Clean Network’s efforts to reach out to the YMCA about this collaboration were reciprocated, and it is clear that this is the beginning of an important partnership between two different organisations in different industries, but with the same missions and values.
What we can see here is that the YMCA had a service need which The Clean Network were able to fulfil perfectly, due to the synergy between them.
A Summary of the YMCA x The Clean Network
So, it is clear that the partnership between the YMCA and The Clean Network has been an exciting and positive one for both parties, due to the alignment in values and goals shared between the organisations.
Charlie Harris and his colleagues are excited about the future of the partnership and the continuation of their collaboration in support of the wider community of London.
