Barrow Cadbury was the grandson of John Cadbury, the founder of the family-run Cadbury chocolate business in Birmingham, where Barrow worked for almost 50 years, succeeding his uncle George as Chairman in 1918. Barrow founded the Barrow Cadbury Trust in 1920 with his wife Geraldine.

Since its foundation the Barrow Cadbury Trust has been in the vanguard of social change. Inspired by Quaker beliefs and a vision for a more just society, Barrow and Geraldine Cadbury used their increasing wealth, (whilst living modestly themselves), drawn from the company, to tackle profound social ills, including juvenile crime and urban poverty.

Standing apart from other philanthropists, even rejecting the term itself and the patronage it implied, Barrow and Geraldine were influential social reformers who worked ceaselessly to improve the communities around them.

In time, Barrow and Geraldine’s children became Trustees and their son, Paul Cadbury, took over as Chair in 1959. Paul, his sisters and many of their descendants have all given time to being trustees and have added generously to the Trust’s endowment.