Monday 7 December 2009

The Children’s Society ‘Making Childhood Better’

The Children’s Society is one of the charities which St Martin’s supports with its Mission giving. This year in December we will focus on the work of the Children’s Society in their aim to make childhood better for all children in the UK.


The Society has been caring for the most disadvantaged children in our society for 128 years ever since Sunday School teacher Edward Rudolf found two boys from his class begging to make ends meet. Since 1881 a lot has changed but still about 100,000 children and young people run away from home or care for a variety of reasons.


Children like Sam and Zoe who ran away after suffering vicious beatings from their mother’s new boyfriend. One freezing December day last year they made their escape by boarding train to get as far away as possible. When they got off the train it was dark and cold and they were hungry. Passing shoppers ignored them as they huddled together in the icy rain. Eventually a local Children’s Society Project Worker heard about them and found them. We were able to get them emergency accommodation and offer them care and counselling to rebuild their lives.


This is just one problem we encounter and many of these young people join the ranks of those who get into trouble with the law trying simply to survive on the streets. There are many other areas to our work including disabled youngsters, young asylum seekers and young carers.


In February this year Penguin published the landmark report on Childhood from the independent enquiry commissioned by the Children’s Society. This has given us much food for thought and the Children’s Society is committed to additional works to help restore the childhoods of disadvantaged children in this country. This will mean changing our communities and their attitudes to young people and each other.


It is something that we do in the strength of our Christian foundations of Love, Justice and Forgiveness and of our support from parishes like St Martins.


‘Then he took a child, set him in front of them and put his arm around him. “Whoever receives a child like this in my name” he said “receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me”.

Mark chp. 9 verses 36-37


God Bless—Allan Baldwin on behalf of the Children’s Society

Next Week will be our annual Toy Service, when we can show our love and compassion for some of these children by donating Christmas gifts which will be passed on to the Children’s Society. Please mark your gifts with the age and sex of the child for whom it is suitable. Many thanks