Trustees, story books and Ted Talks

I've just got back from a very successful trustee meeting. I'm tired, its been a long day and I missed putting the kids to bed. But I keep thinking about something Sian said which really stuck with me. She was thanking the trustees for their time and she said that what we are doing here - running a charity that supports families affected by adoption, fostering and the care system - really is a dream come true. And it absolutely is. We genuinely believe we can transform the lives of the families we work with and support young people to reach their full potential through the arts. We are so privileged to have the support of Matt, Leah and Sally. All of whom give up their time (and their own kids bedtimes!) to guide us along the journey of turning mine and Sian's thoughts and ideas into reality. We can't thank them enough.

We have two exciting projects on the theme of childrens story books that we are developing which we hope to share more details about soon. Particularly we are interested in supporting families and young people with identity work by allowing them to own their family story through art and illustration. We want to hear from people with lived experience of adoption and find out what their challenges are when it comes to identity and life story work. Please, get in touch!

On 13th October I will be talking about my experience as an adopted person and adoptive parent at TEDx Doncaster. The theme for the day is "Beyond Expectation" which is the perfect fit for adoption related issues. I aim to inspire hope and break down some of the misconceptions around adopted people and what they are capable of. How can we create an environment where children who have left their family of birth go on to thrive? I share the stage with a diverse range of inspirational speakers and we've have formed a little community through the process. Wish me luck everyone and I'll share the final talk when its up on the TED platform.