Tipping my hat to Barnardos

Earlier this week my time as Chairman on the Barnardos Board came to a conclusion and after over 6 amazing years I couldn’t help reflecting on how proud and humbled I was to be part of this tremendous organization.

Across those years, we faced many challenges, often our finances felt fragile as we really rely on substantial fundraising support from great corporate partnerships and indeed the wider general public. This year, in the midst of a global pandemic, we came into our own in so many ways and I could not speak highly enough of our frontline workers, service providers, and fundraising team that pushed through to deliver for our families. So many great people turned their world upside down to ensure we could provide services where we were needed most.

Last year Barnardos worked with 17,918 children and families across Ireland and had to rapidly adapt to a new Covid landscape and ensure our services could continue throughout the various lockdowns. Many of the children we work with are living in chaotic environments, often with complex needs and dealing with a range of adverse experiences and add a global pandemic into that and we have families who required critical and intensive support.

Throughout all of this, the commitment of Barnardos staff never wavered and the support never stopped as each family and every child remained their number one priority. In each of our centers across the country, our frontline staff worked tirelessly to provide food hampers, care packages, and other basic essential items for families. These were safely hand delivered by our project workers so they could get vital ‘eyes on the child’ and ensure that all was well within the home.

While the last 15 months have been a difficult time for many on a number of levels, I want to take the opportunity to highlight the positive aspect of this time, the sense of community, teamwork, and dedication shown by Barnardos staff during the pandemic. Their ability to step forward and care for those in need, during such a difficult and trying period was outstanding. Each member of the Barnardos team across the country should hold great pride in all they have achieved. I know I am proud of each of them and proud to have been a board member of Barnardos and know it is left in great hands to continue this amazing work.