Mums do travel

Travel with and without teens

  • Home
  • Destination
    • UK
      • London
      • Kent
      • Northern Ireland
      • Wales
      • Elsewhere
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Croatia
      • France
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • USA
      • Canada
      • Carribean
      • Costa Rica
    • Africa
      • South Africa
      • Tunisia
    • Asia
      • Thailand
      • Bali
      • Singapore
    • Australia
  • Inspiration
    • Things to do in…
    • Things to do in London…
    • Where to stay
    • Language learning
    • Family travel interviews
    • The journey
    • Recipes
  • Published in
  • About
  • Contact
  • Travel shop
Home / Destination / Europe / UK / London / The day I went to Downing Street with the Railway Children

The day I went to Downing Street with the Railway Children

March 20, 2013 by Gretta Schifano 16 Comments

Front door, 10 Downing Street. Copyright Gretta Schifano

I went to number 10 Downing Street this week. Sorry not to have mentioned it before, but it was all Top Secret. I was there to find out about the Railway Children charity, which works to support vulnerable children living on the streets in India, Africa and the UK. That’s right: apparently, in the UK one child under sixteen runs away from home every five minutes, which is around 100,000 every year.

Samantha Cameron told us that she found this statistic shocking, especially as thirty per cent of these children are under twelve. I couldn’t believe these figures when I heard them either but, sadly, they’re true. What’s more, these children come from all sorts of homes and families, and are not just from troubled backgrounds. There are many reasons why a child may run away, and a parent may have no idea there’s a problem until their child has gone.

Talking to charity workers at the event, I learnt that children don’t generally plan how they’re going to survive once they’ve run away. Once on the streets they’re vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. There are some charities working to help these children, and there are even some children’s refuges to keep them safe in the short term, but I get the impression that support from social services is patchy and the system has some gaping holes in it. As a society we have to work to prevent children from running away in the first place.

To this end, Railway Children, supported by Aviva, is working with Mumsnet to encourage us as parents to keep our children safe by talking to them about the issue of running away. You can find advice on this as well as some warning signs that a child may run away here. Aviva is donating £2 to the Railway Children for this post and for every comment it receives, so please add your comment below if you have time.

I was invited to the event as a Mumsnet blogger. Going in to Downing Street felt like getting on a flight: queuing at the security gate, showing my ticket and passport, handing over my bag to be scanned, walking through a body scanner. But once inside it was very exciting to walk up the Grand Staircase, which is hung with portraits of every Prime Minister, and into one of the grand reception rooms looking out over the Downing Street garden. We had to leave our phones and cameras at the front door, so I have no photos to share with you but I can tell you the following three things. First, the chandeliers looked very well dusted. Second, the garden looks lovely without the ubiquitous children’s trampoline, but I hope the Cameron children have some outdoor play equipment somewhere as I guess they can’t really pop to the park. Third, it must have been a pain for Sam to put on her lippy and smart dress and come downstairs to talk to us right in the middle of her kids’ tea-homework-bath-bed time routine, but she seemed relaxed and unflustered. I imagine that her husband must have been sorting everything out.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

Categories: London, Seasonal

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

Facebook - Twitter - Google+

Subscribe to posts by email?

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Comments

  1. mumtoteens says

    March 26, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    The facts we were presented with last Tuesday were eye opening and really quite scary. A great post.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 26, 2013 at 4:12 pm

      Thank you, and sorry not to have met you at the event.

      Reply
  2. Kate @craftsonsea says

    March 25, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    I was there too, sorry I missed you! Great that you’re helping to raise awareness on this, the one every 5 mins statistic is shocking, I hope it encourages more parents to talk to their children.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 25, 2013 at 8:45 pm

      I know, I’ve been telling all of my friends and none of them can believe it. Maybe we’ll meet up at another event, with name badges!

      Reply
  3. allthecaminggear says

    March 23, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    Wow, shocking stats. Great you’ve got the chance to be involved and make a difference

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 23, 2013 at 7:04 pm

      It’s great to feel like I can actually do something to help.

      Reply
  4. Alreethinny says

    March 22, 2013 at 10:43 pm

    It was great to be part of this event but more importantly to talk to people about this issue. The fact that 100,000 children feel the need to runaway from home each year, needs to be discussed more. The charities do a fantastic job in an area that appears to be ignored by wider society and public services.
    Great post.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 23, 2013 at 7:03 pm

      I know, and it’s children from all sorts of families, not just those from problematic backgrounds.

      Reply
  5. John Adams says

    March 22, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    It was an honour to have been invited to this event and to be able to play a part in highlighting this very serious and under reported issue.

    likewise, sorry not to have met you on the night. Maybe next time, at the White House?

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 22, 2013 at 8:26 pm

      Absolutely, I’ll be there – and I’ll make sure I have a name badge on next time.

      Reply
  6. homemadekids says

    March 22, 2013 at 6:26 pm

    Lovely to meet you Gretta – like your close up pic of #10 door. I enjoyed this post – obviously all about the inspirational Railway Children charity, but also the sympathy you have for Sam trying to juggle hosting a party for 100+ strangers at the same time as the kids need to go to bed. For her it must be all in a day’s work…. Nicola

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 23, 2013 at 7:06 pm

      She did well – I wouldn’t fancy her role! It was lovely to meet you too.

      Reply
  7. Lucym808 says

    March 21, 2013 at 6:38 am

    I really enjoyed meeting you both too! It was a very thought-provoking evening.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 21, 2013 at 9:00 am

      It was, I’m so pleased to have been invited and had the chance to find out about this issue.

      Reply
  8. Donna Navarro says

    March 20, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    Great to meet you at No. 10, Gretta. Astounding to hear the figures and let’s hope together we can get people talking about the risks young people face if they run away from home. Let’s hope that by raising awareness, parents will start talking to their children about the issues of running away – let’s try and rid the taboo of talking about it without our children. A massive hats off to Railway Children and to their partner charities who all do such worthwhile and inspirational work.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 20, 2013 at 9:54 pm

      It was good to meet you too. As you say, this is a huge issue and we need to talk about it with our children.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Search site

Follow me!

Email: gretta at mumsdotravel dot com
Follow me on FacebookFollow me on Google+Follow me on TwitterFollow me on InstagramFollow me on YouTubeFollow me on PinterestFollow me on Bloglovin

You'd like posts by email?

Booking.com

Most popular posts:

  • How to pack for an 8 kg luggage allowance
    How to pack for an 8 kg luggage allowance
  • Where to find Mary Poppins film locations in London
    Where to find Mary Poppins film locations in London
  • Thailand with teenagers: a two-week summer itinerary
    Thailand with teenagers: a two-week summer itinerary
  • 8 great family holidays for football fans
    8 great family holidays for football fans
  • What to do when your teenager doesn't want to go on your family holiday
    What to do when your teenager doesn't want to go on your family holiday
  • Itinerary for a three-night Berlin sightseeing trip with a teenager
    Itinerary for a three-night Berlin sightseeing trip with a teenager
  • 17 places to find the world of Harry Potter in London
    17 places to find the world of Harry Potter in London
  • 60 free things to do in London with a teenager
    60 free things to do in London with a teenager
  • How to shop in the souks of Tunis medina, Tunisia
    How to shop in the souks of Tunis medina, Tunisia
  • What to wear for a DofE expedition
    What to wear for a DofE expedition

Recent Posts

  • How to apply for Italian citizenship: everything we’ve done so far
  • How to explore London’s top attractions from home
  • Amsterdam virtual museum & gallery tours
  • Introducing Armchair Travels
  • How to explore Florence, Italy, from home

About

  • About
  • Published in
  • Contact

Disclosure

This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

Copyright © Mums do travel 2019
Header by Suzanne Barton
Website by
Callia Web

Sign up for my free newsletter:
Subscribe to the Mums do travel mailing list... it's FREE!
You'll receive family travel news, offers and competitions. Once you sign up you can download my tips for saving money on family travel.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
Sign up for my free newsletter: