Barnardo’s yesterday
when they had to give up fostering
because of illness. Then I went into
temporary fostering, which helped
me to prepare for life when I left
Barnardo’s at 18 and moved into a
council flat of my own.”
Looking back, John feels grateful
to Barnardo’s for the support they
gave him. “Barnardo’s taught me
everything about life. To me it
meant a regular meal. I saw the
seaside for the first time because of
them. I know how to use a knife and
fork because they taught me. I felt
secure because of them. They really
mean so much to me.”
As a talented footballer, John
played for a team run by the
caretaker at Barnardo’s and was
spotted by Fulham Football Club
(FFC). “They took me on to be a
professional footballer but they
also taught us another trade,
just in case we didn’t become
professional players as 90% don’t
make it,” he says. Unfortunately,
injuries meant he had to give up
football but thanks to FFC he had
also trained to be a hairdresser
so went into that instead. “I came
third in the British Hairdressing
Championships just after I’d
trained and have gone on to own
and run my own shop,” says John.
Barnardo’s has continued to
support John over the years, and
he’s happy to help the charity in
any way he can. “Barnardo’s has
always been there for me. When I
had my own children it brought up
Autumn 2016
a lot of issues from my childhood
and they helped me with that. I’ve
got a daughter and step-son and
we’re also raising a friend’s child –
her mum died and we’d promised
that we’d always look after her, so
we’ve got three children.”
Happily, John has also managed
to trace his older brother and
sister. “When I was 18 I saw my
Barnardo’s personal records,” says
“To me it meant a regular
meal... I felt secure because
of them. They really mean
so much to me.”
John. “Somehow I’d always known
that I had a brother and sister –
Barnardo’s tried to help me find
them but it wasn’t easy. They were
much older than me. Mum had
walked out on the family and my dad
wasn’t supposed to have any contact
with her but they saw each other in
secret and I was the result. So my
siblings didn’t know about me.”
After searching for many years
without success John managed to
find them through Facebook. “My
sister lives near me and my brother
is in New York. When he found
out about me he flew straight over
with his family. We had a huge
reunion and then he flew me and
my family to America with them.
Finding them has really made my
life complete.”
Barnardo’s Today
7