It is one of the leading children’s charities on this side of the world, helping tots to teens who have had a rough start to life – but the amazing work of Barnardo’s goes back a very long way.

 

Newly-released photos and records, dug up from Victorian archives, have now given us an insight into the lives of some of the very first children to be taken into the care of the organisation.

 

Set up by Dublin-born Thomas Barnardo, the charity was first launched in London, in response to the shocking amount of children living in poverty and sleeping rough on the mean streets of the city.

 

 

150 years on, the newly-released records show what life was like for the first foster children of Barnardo’s – and the insights from life in the 1880's are just heart-wrenching.

 

Among the records are those of Lillian Murray. Born in 1899, Lillian was made a ward of court at the tender age of two. Her mum – who had been to jail eight times – had been charged with neglect by the NSPCC. Thankfully, there was a happy ending for Lillian, who went on to be placed in foster care by Barnardo’s and received ‘excellent’ training.

 

Likewise, 14-year-old James Keen had endured a rough start following the death of both parents. While he was living with his grandmother, her own ill-health led to his placement with Barnardo’s. Severely underweight and suffering from a heart condition when he was placed in his foster home, things improved significantly for James, who went on to train as an apprentice.

 

 

One particularly interesting aspect of the medical records sheds light on the kinds of ailments affecting children 150 years ago – including ringworm, rickets and dental problems.

 

The children who passed through Barnardo’s showed overwhelming improvements regarding health, education and happiness – and today, all these years later, the team are appealing for more people to open their hearts and homes to vulnerable children in need.

 

Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “Just as in Victorian times, today we’re looking for people, with a genuine desire to make life better for some of the country’s most vulnerable children, to become foster carers.”

 

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