BARNARDO HOMES

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 35, 11 February 1936, Page 18

BARNARDO HOMES

ALBERT HALL FETE

iYOUNG HELPERS' LEAGUE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, January 18. A triumph of organisation is registered annually when the authorities of Dr. Barnardo's Homes bring up to the Albert Hall, from all their centres, boys and girls and tiny tots to celebrate a yearly festival. The excursionists numbered 1200 last Saturday, and did great credit as representatives of the family of 8300 inmates of the homes where no fewer than 1455 are under five years of age. The Albert Hall was packed with interested spectators and listeners, for the Barnardo Helpers' League, under whose auspices the function was held, continues, to render conspicuous service to the homes. The principal objective of members of the league is to help the crippled and ailing children who are in the care of the homes. Its members are drawn from the upper and middle classes, and its present strength is 78,217, while there are'274l habitations and 2750 lodges. During 1935 the league supported about 250 cots for sick, crippled, invalid, and deaf and dumb children m the various hospitals and special branches of the homes for dealing with such helpless little people. Members of the league also provided for the maintenance of many healthy boysuuid girls and lads in training for the Navy and the Mercantile Marine. This is the seventieth year of the work of Dr. Barnardo's Homes, and under their charter—"No destitute child ever refused admission"—over 118,000 destitute children have been received. There is no waiting list, no voting system, no red tape. Destitution is the only, qualification for immediate sane"princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, graciously presided and presented banners and badges and other awards to habitations of the' leagwe which had rendered conspicuous service during the past year, and also received purses in aid of the funds of Dr. Barnardo's Homes. • • The entertainment provided by tne children was varied and very delightful. Hundreds of girls dressed in white, sashed with crimson, and boys in grey, filled the orchestra seats, and they sang extremely well without words or music, such,items as Parry's, "England," Franz Gruber's "Silent NigbJt," Fraser-Simpson's "In the Dark " "Sullivan's "O Gladsome Light, Shaw's arrangement of "The Bells of Aberdovey," accompanied by the great organ, by their own brass band, and by a body of young instrumental artists They also sang simple nursery rhymes, in effective' settings, while the "Tinies" were performing on the arena—it was comic to hear the great organ jogging along in lighter vein to suit the kiddies' frolics. ' Gymnastic displays by the boys of the Kussell-Coates Nautical School, and the young men of the William Baker Technical School, showed a marked degree of talent. Boys from the Watts Naval Training School at Elmham introduced a welcome and seasonable note of pantomimes in "Humpty Dumpty." Intricate .mass marching by boys from the Boys Garden City was fascinating to watch, and cleverly performed; the groupings of varied jersey colourings were artistic in form and gay in effect. The main item was the Fantasy of Child Life by the girls from the Village Home in Barkingside, showing the life of a day in that centre—miniature homes surrounded by flowers; a village school on the green, little cooks and housemaids at work, and laundry lasses "dashing away with the smooth-ing-iron." When the "roast beef of Old England" appeared at dinner time it was accompanied by the traditional song, and nightfall brought elves with fairy lights and. fairy "ballet in which the fairy queen held her court from a golden chair. ■ The nineteenth item on the programme was the showing of moving pictures representing the inception of the work and bringing it right up to date. s . The excellent programme, itself was produced in the printing department of the William Baker Technical School, Goldings, Hertford, an important branch of the Dr. Barnardo organisation. All the children are healthy and sturdy, and extremely well behaved.