THE CHILDREN'S COUNTRY HOLIDAY FUND.
[TO TUE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.'] SIR,—The Committees of the Children's Country Holiday Fund are now in full work, and thousands of poor children in all parts of London are paying in their pence week by week in eager anticipation of their coming holiday. May we remind your readers that unless an increased sum is subscribed before the end of July, a very large number of these children will be disappointed of their change.
The operations of our fifty-four local Committees cover all the poorer parts of London, from Canning Town to Hammersmith and Stockwell to Stoke Newington. We work through the public elementary and the voluntary schools. Children are selected by our thousand voluntary workers without distinction of class or creed. Special arrangements are made for the reception of Jewish children and the children of Boman Catholic parents. The one qualification is the need of the child and the inability of the parent otherwise to send it to the country. As London grows, the demands on the Fund increase, and the number of children who need a c.hange into country air from thehot streets and crowded dwellings of the great city seems continually advancing. The schools through which the Fund works have a population of over 750.000 children. Of these last year through the generosity of subscribers we were enabled to send away some 82,000. The children are boarded out in country cottages under the super- vision of a country visitor. Each goes for a fortnight, the pay- ment for which is 10s. Towards this all the parents contribute except the very poorest. The children return not only strengthened by the fresh air and open space, but with new ideas of pleasure and ideals of life, new friendship?, and new material for hope and imagination.
We are confident that even in these times of special difficulty for charitable societies the requirements ,of this national service will not be forgotten. The offices of the Fund are at 10 Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., where subscriptions will be gratefully received.—We are, Sir, &c.,
AVEBURYI Trustees, Children's Country ERROLL 3 Holiday Fund. ALFRED LYTTELTON, Hon. Treasurer.
Previous page
