Last week, I had the great pleasure of being invited to join staff, volunteers and beneficiaries from Barnardo’s to celebrate the charity’s 150th anniversary with a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
The occasion was made all the more special, given the affinity between Barnardo’s and the Royal Family, with the Queen herself being a longstanding patron.
In total, more than 5,000 people descended on the palace lawn to toast 150 successful years, in the company of the Duchess of Cornwall.
Barnardo’s was founded in 1866 by Sir Thomas Barnardo, who began his work by rescuing the orphaned children he found sleeping in the street of London’s east end. He set up the first Barnado’s Children's Home there and worked to aid the most neglected children and young people in the belief that each of them deserved a home, a family and an education.
Although the charity’s work has diversified – it now operates more than 960 children and young people’s services across the UK – their commitment to the most vulnerable in society remains the same.
For our part, Stephensons has been fortunate to work alongside Barnardo’s for nearly six years and it is a partnership that grows year-on-year.
In that time, Stephensons staff have taken part in a number of initiatives to assist the charity in their aim to ‘improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in society’. We have helped transform living spaces for homeless young people; provided training opportunities for Barnardo’s volunteers; jointly hosted a domestic abuse conference, supporting families across Greater Manchester; and recently had the pleasure of inviting guest speakers to attend Stephensons family law events.
Throughout, we have utilised our experience, working alongside our communities and providing advice and legal services to individuals when they are most in need.
In this anniversary year, we are very proud to support Barnardo’s and their work across the UK.
By Sarah Boustouller - Partner, Stephensons. For more information about Barnardo's 150th anniversary year, and their work, visit: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/150-yesterday.htm