Sir, As the centenary of the death of Dr. Thomas Barnardo draws to a close, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the local community for the marvellous support they have given to Barnardo's Cymru. The past year has been an exciting one, during which we have hosted a centenary Thanksgiving Service at Llandaff Cathedral with Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins; held a centenary Tug-of-War fund-raising event, and have held a number of centenary balls. The support of local Barnardo's Helper Groups has been excellent in helping to raise funds for our work, and in this, our centenary year, many groups redoubled their efforts. As we move into 2006, Barnardo's Cymru continues to run 38 services for children, young people and families across Wales. Our priorities for future development include focusing on three specific areas - sexual exploitation, child mental health and substance misuse. During our centenary year we highlighted the issue of self-harm among young people in Wales and lobbied for improved mental health services for children and adolescents. We also carried out a scoping exercise into sexual exploitation in Wales and held a conference to explore the best ways of working together to safeguard children and young people who are being sexually exploited. I hope that your readers will continue to support Barnardo's Cymru in any way they can - through volunteering, offering sponsorship, donating goods and buying from our shops or by giving the ultimate gift of a lifetime - a legacy.
Raymond Ciborowski, Director, Barnardo's Cymru