Time to rest is an essential part of a healthy life but for those who love their work so much, rest can be alien concept! For many of the foster parents, true rest is not even contemplated or understood. It’s hard to get them to rest but when they do, our mission is accomplished!

They work so hard, not just caring for up to 10 children but also running the home, milking the cows, weeding the vegetable garden, checking the homework and completing family reports, just to name a few responsibilities.

With the help of great friends from the UK, we have been able to give some of our parents the opportunity to have the weight of responsibility, lifted off their shoulders and it’s just fantastic when you see them relaxing.

One mother told us last year, that it was her first real rest in 15 years! What a privilege for us to make it happen. The children had a great time too, with a fun filled activity program. No wonder they really love being in the Dream Home!

So, as we hosted another great family, we organised a bit of a competition to add to the fun.

The children needed to clean and tidy their rooms and be creative in the task. We gave them a challenge of making animals with their towels. We started with teddy bears, as something simple but the girls excelled themselves! Even on day 1, they made swans as well. Of course, they gained extra points. Each day they raised the bar but how high can you really go?

It takes a lot to make me speechless but I had no words as I inspected on the final day.

The challenge was to make a chimpanzee! The boys did really well but nothing could have prepared me for the creativity of the girls. Six incredible chimpanzees were hanging on a line and two of them came alive and even started to dance! Great fun! Well done! Amazing!

It’s always a real pleasure to visit the families, in their own homes. It means a lot to them and especially when we have a team visiting with us! The welcome and hospitality is really beautiful. Memory moments are made for everyone. On one such visit we took a team of ladies from Gloucester and we organised a fun time with the children, plus – a date night for the foster parents. Time alone is very rare and a date night, never really happens. We chose the family and then, as we were discussing our plans, it transpired that it was their 30^th wedding anniversary. We were delighted! A new outfit was purchased for the mum and a full makeover. Dad was very pleased. It was a great occasion for everyone. A very special time indeed.

International Children’s Day is a great reason to celebrate with some of our families. We organised a summer fayre, with: Throw the welly; Hoopla; Coconut shy; Sack races; Tug-of-war; and Hook the duck, just to name a few of the activities. Hot dogs & home made beef burgers filled the hungry tummies! It wasn’t the best weather but nothing could dampen the fun! The competition was fierce! The determination to win, reflects in the facial expressions – and that was just for an egg & spoon race! Well done to everyone and a special thanks to the Ladies team from Gloucester who helped to make it a successful day and sponsored the event.