Colouring Competition 2025
13 Feb 2025 | Uncategorized
For our Colouring Competition this year we have chosen two individuals: Elizabeth Fry and Thomas Barnardo. There is a link between them, as 180 years ago, in 1845, Thomas Barnardo was born, and later that same year, Elizabeth Fry died.
Both had lives ‘well-lived’. They were amazing Christian philanthropists, who made full use of their God-given skills, abilities and situations in life for the good of many.
The picture has once again been drawn for us by our dear Christian friend, Anita Griffin, from Seattle in America.
Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Gurney was born into a wealthy Christian family in Norwich in 1780. At the age of 18 she became a Christian and began her tireless work to help others – she provided food, clothes and education for some of the local poor children. She married Joseph Fry at the age of 20 and moved to London where, although busy raising her own family, she visited the slums, giving help and medical aid where she could, also opening a school because very few poor children received an education at that time.
Elizabeth Fry visited the notorious Newgate Prison described as ‘dark, smelly, noisy and frightening.’ She set about improving the conditions—she read Bible Stories to the ladies, distributed clothes, food, fresh straw for bedding and gave all manner of help. She encouraged the women to sew and knit and worked to give them dignity and respect.
She travelled around the country and the Continent visiting many prisons, introducing improvement and reform. She campaigned to abolish slavery, helped the homeless, set up a nurses training school, libraries for coastguards and help for shepherds! She helped the criminals who were being transported to Australia, giving them some personal possessions including a Bible and better clothes. She provided a schoolmistress to teach the children to read and arranged accommodation for the women on arrival in Australia to prevent them from falling into destitution. She campaigned to abolish transport ships.
Elizabeth Fry had 11 children of her own, and 25 grandchildren, and suffered from poor health. BUT she used her life profitably—she lived a truly godly life, and it can be said of her …. ‘She hath done what she could’. (Mark 14 v 8)
Thomas Barnardo
Thomas Barnardo was born in Dublin in 1845. He became a Christian at the age of 17 and began preaching in the slums of Dublin. He then moved to London to study medicine, planning to become a medical missionary in China.
While a student at the London hospital, he opened his own ‘Ragged School’ and soon discovered the terrible plight of homeless children in the city. He made a speech about the problem at a missionary conference and was heard by Lord Shaftesbury and the banker Robert Barclay who both agreed to help him open and support his first ‘Home for Destitute Children’. By 1878 he had established 50 orphanages in London, including the ‘Village Home for Girls’ in Ilford—a complete community with 70 cottages, its own school, a laundry and a church with a population of over 1,000 children.
All children were looked after, taught and trained in various trades; he was concerned for their spiritual, as well as their physical well-being. He also developed a scheme for sending orphaned children to Canada.
By the time he died in 1905, there were nearly 8,000 children in his residential homes and more than 4,000 boarded out. Dr Thomas Barnardo had 7 children of his own but was also affectionately known as ‘The Father of Nobody’s Children’.
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We would like to encourage children to take part from Home, Schools and Sunday Schools across the Country – there are no territorial limits!
The pictures will be judged in 4 age groups. 3-4 years,5-7 years,8-11 years & 12+ years
The closing date for the Competition is 24th May 2025
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each age category
Download a copy of the colouring competition sheet here. It may be printed and distributed to as many people as would like to take part.
Important: Please clearly print your name and age (your age on 24th May) on the back of the
picture, with your address and email address (or name of School/Sunday School)
…and post your entries, marked ‘Colouring Competition @ CHC’ to:
Mrs A Burrows, 27 Beauty Bank, Cradley Heath, West Midlands B64 7HZ
Winners will be notified, and their names will be published on the website on 31st May 2025
**All entries will be on display on the Centre Opening Days on 20th & 21st June; the winning entries will also be on display at the 19th July and the ‘Cream Tea -2nd August’ openings.**
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