Centenary (From Penarth Times)

Centenary

WE would like to let your Penarth readers to know that Barnardo's is celebrating a Centenary in 2005.

It is 100 years since the death of its founder Dr Thomas Barnardo and the charity is celebrating the difference it has made and continues to make to the lives of thousands of Welsh children.

We no longer run children's homes but our vision remains the same as it was in Dr Barnardo's day - that every child, whatever their background or circumstances, deserves a good start in life and a secure future.

Today we run the Community Links service in the Vale which supports disabled children and their families. We link a disabled child with another family in the area for regular short breaks. It gives the child a chance to make friends outside their own home, while it gives parents a break from the demands of caring and the chance to devote more time to other children in the family.

The Derwen fostering and adoption service arranges adoptive and foster placements for children with challenging behaviour, disabled children, and children from ethnic minority communities.

In this our Centenary year, we are appealing to your readers, young and old, to support us in continuing our work in the Vale and help us to give children a better start in life.

Readers can help by volunteering at one of our projects or shops, or by supporting our fundraising efforts.

For example in May we run the Cardiff Bike Ride; in June we invite toddlers to take part in the Foresters Big Toddle for Barnardo's; and in October we invite participants in the Cardiff Marathon to raise funds on our behalf.

For details of these and other events log on to www.barnardos.org.uk

Thank you.

Raymond Ciborowski

Barnardo's Cymru,

Director