Throughout my childhood my grandparents’ house had a Barnado’s collecting box on the hall table for spare change.  This was because my grandfather was a ‘Barnado’s Boy’.  Having been orphaned in early childhood he was cared for by the charity then called “Dr Barnado’s” who found a foster home in which he was very happy.  Grandpa maintained a lifelong relationship with his foster mother and brothers and she became ‘granny’ to my mother in due course.  Barnodo’s still finds foster and adoptive homes for children but the charity now does a lot more including advocacy; supporting young carers; protecting children from sexual exploitation and supporting survivors; campaigning and research.