peter
“Looking back on life, 25 years ago, things were pretty black and white. Though, I didn’t know it at the time; my mam and I were only a week away from being evicted from our home. A two-room flat, with high ceilings which was constantly cold and expensive to heat. There was only one window in the whole flat. Despite its shortcomings, the landlord was increasing our rent. As a child, it didn’t matter to me that we didn’t have a lot. I had my mother who was, and still is my best friend. But looking back now, I can understand how isolated and alone she must have felt. My proud and wonderful mother was trying to cope with enormous pressure. Poverty, the impending threat of the homeless and the inability to work because childcare costs were so high – all took its toll on her mental health. But she still did her best for me. Someone had told her about the toy library at Barnardos, so she brought me along one day to find a new toy to play with. While we were there, someone asked the question that would turn both our lives around;
“Are you alright?”
She wasn’t, and the project worker we met that morning was there to hear that. My mam told her how she was struggling. We were offered a lifeline that day and soon after, I was enrolled in the Barnardos Early Years’ service. It’s mostly a haze of happy memories; sitting in a circle singing songs, learning how to write my name, making cards for my Mom… My project worker Cindy really stands out in my memory. She just shone. She made me feel so welcome and reassured me that it was OK for people to feel sad sometimes. As I could attend Barnardos every day, my mam could go back to work and that meant she was able to cover our rent. Not only that, being able to go out and work gave her back her independence and empowered her to seek out better for us. I’m old enough now to realise what might have happened if Barnardos hadn’t come into our lives. I know my own social development, and my confidence would have suffered even more. I don’t pretend to know everything that Barnardos does, but I do know it gives all children the same chances in life. They gave me a voice, and I’ll be eternally grateful for that.”