Tobermore staff's generous gesture

These much-needed funds will make a huge difference to the lives of vulnerable children across the UK and Ireland this Christmas.

While Christmas can be commercialised as a time of celebration and indulgency, it’s important to remember that this time of year can be quite the opposite for families who are experiencing financial difficulties and children who do not have the support of a parent or guardian.

Barnardo’s work tirelessly to help improve the lives of children found in these circumstances.

Barnardo’s is one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, working directly with 240,000 children, young people and families every year while operating 960 vital services across the UK which includes counselling for children who have been abused or rehomed, vocational training and disability inclusion groups.

Not every child has a warm, loving, stable home. Through no fault of their own, many children and young people face neglect, violence, abuse and chaotic surroundings. This can affect every aspect of their life, from progress at school to their ability to form trust and friendships.

Foster care provides a safe, secure and stable environment for these young people. Foster carers provide care to children and young people for a few days, weeks, months or even years. Adoption is a way of giving a child a loving, stable, caring family throughout childhood and beyond. Adoptive parents make a lifelong commitment to a child and take on full parental responsibilities.

Tobermore has made monetary donations to a variety of charities at Christmas over the past 15 years and this is the ninth successive year that Tobermore has donated to Barnardo’s. The company’s donations to Barnardo’s currently total a staggering £200,000.

Aoibheann Doherty, Regional Fundraising Manager at Barnardo’s Northern Ireland, is pictured being presented with the donation from Tobermore’s Managing Director, David Henderson, along with a number of Tobermore staff from across NI, ROI, England, Scotland and Wales.

Aoibheann commented that all donations however great or small are so valuable in providing support.