Appeal on behalf of the Farningham and Swanley Homes for Boys, by John Connell
Contributions will be gratefully acknowledged and should be addressed to [address removed]
Queen Alexandra's first public engagement in this country was to lay the foundation stone, in 1866, of the Farningham and Swanley Homes for Boys, or the Homes for Little Boys, as they were then called. They were the first Cottage Homes in England. Their purpose today, as it was nearly ninety years ago, is to provide a home for boys who have no home, and to teach them a trade when they reach the school-leaving age. Surrounded by affection and understanding, they forget at Farningham and Swanley the sadness and misery that has so often been their lot until they came to the Homes. The boys live in separate houses, each of which accommodates a group of twenty or so. under a Home Mother. They have their own schools, plenty of games and sport, and ample facilities for following their hobbies.