Jump to content

Draft:Mxthercxuntry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Reedham Children's Trust is a children's charity founded as The Asylum for Fatherless Children by philanthropist Reverend Dr. Andrew Reed in 1844. It celebrated its 180th anniversary in 2024.

As an orphanage, it provided accommodation for 300 children whose fathers had died or were too ill to care for them. The trust continues to provide support to disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people in Croydon, South London.

History

[edit]

The Asylum for Fatherless Children was founded by Reverend Dr. Andrew Reed, a philanthropist and social reformer.

In 1851, Queen Victoria bought a life nomination for HRH the Prince of Wales, who was 10 at the time, for £262 and 10 shillings. This allowed him to select an orphan to be cared for by the orphanage.[1]

In 1858, the Lord Mayor of London inaugurated a newly constructed orphanage in the Surrey Hills, now known as Purley, which provided both care and education. The children were relocated from Richmond, London to this new facility, later called Reedham Orphanage.

In 1950, the home was renamed Reedham School, but it closed in 1979 due to changes in how the state approached social care and education. The proceeds from selling the land were used to establish a new charity, Reedham Children’s Trust, which began offering grants to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children attending boarding schools.[2][3]

Recognition

[edit]

In 2015, Southern Rail installed signs reading "home of Reedham's Children's Trust" at Reedham station to draw attention to its links to the charity.[4] Sarah Smart, the charity's chief executive, said: "We're the oldest dedicated children's charity in Croydon and yet many people have not even heard of us, so we hope this will increase awareness of us and support."

Ambassador

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ McRae, Barradale, Isabella, Greg (8 September 2022). "'Thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine': The Queen's charitable legacy". Big Issue. Retrieved 30 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "More help for vulnerable children to attend top boarding schools". GOV.UK. 24 December 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Free boarding school places for care system pupils". BBC News. 24 December 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  4. ^ Baynes, Chris (17 July 2015). "Reedham Children's Trust celebrates historic link to Purley railway station that took its name". Croydon Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  5. ^ Walker, Isabelle (16 December 2020). "Charity's Secret Santa scheme brings a smile to disadvantaged children". East London Lines. Retrieved 30 September 2024.