Zöe Marksford
I am delighted that ECB chose Barnardo’s as their nominated charity for 2023. I am even more delighted to announce that, through your generosity and the generosity of the band’s members, we have managed to raise over £1,700 for an organisation that is dear to my heart.
In January 2021, our son came to live with us as a fostering placement at the age of 10 months. We were his fifth home in that very short time.
We finally became his legal parents in July 2022, and he is now an energetic, very funny and loving three-and-a-half-year-old – very different to the child that was handed over on our doorstep in the midst of a lockdown.
If it wasn’t for Barnardo’s help, he would probably still be rattling around in the care system.
As of 31st March 2023, there were 82,170 children in care in England alone. This figure is higher than in any year since current reporting began in 1994, with numbers steadily increasing year-on-year since 2008.
There were only 2,950 children adopted during 2022, falling from a peak of 5,360 in 2015.
What about the other 79,220 children like our son!?
Thank you again for Believing in Children and supporting Barnardo’s.
