On Saturday, something really special happened for Hull Fostering.
We took 600 members of our fostering community to Hull New Theatre to watch Beauty and the Beast, and for a few hours, the pressures of everyday life softened into laughter, music, boos, cheers and pure Christmas magic.
For many of our families, opportunities like this do not come around often. Large family outings can be expensive, logistically tricky and sometimes feel out of reach. That is why this day mattered so much. It was not just a trip to the pantomime, it was about belonging, being together and creating shared memories as one Hull Fostering family.
Walking into the theatre and seeing row after row filled with our foster carers, children, birth children and young people was honestly breath taking. The buzz, the excitement and the chatter in the aisles before the curtain even went up said everything. Hull has heart, and on Saturday, that heart filled Hull New Theatre.
We were incredibly proud to be joined by Michele Priest, Head of Service for Children, Young People and Family Services at Hull City Council. Michele attending meant a great deal to our families and our team. It showed, clearly and visibly, how important foster carers and children are to Hull City Council and how valued these moments of joy and connection really are.
Michele spent time talking to families, soaking up the atmosphere and sharing in the experience, reinforcing that fostering is not just about care plans and paperwork, it is about childhood, memories and feeling special too.
A huge part of what made the day even more magical was the kindness shown by Together We Foster CIC. This is a very newly established community interest company, created by a small group of Hull Fostering foster carers who wanted to give something back to our wider fostering family.
With very little time and a lot of heart, they raised enough money to make and gift every child attending a sweet cone to enjoy during the pantomime. Watching children clutching their sweet cones, deciding whether to save them or dive straight in, was a reminder of how small gestures can make such a big difference. Together We Foster CIC may be new, but their impact was felt by hundreds of children in one afternoon.
As Beauty and the Beast unfolded on stage, our families did Hull proud. Children shouting back at the cast, laughing out loud, standing up in the aisles, clapping, gasping and getting fully involved reminded us exactly why events like this matter. The theatre was alive with joy. It was noisy, it was messy, it was brilliant.
It felt properly Christmassy, that warm feeling you get when you know you are exactly where you are meant to be, surrounded by people who understand one another without needing to explain.
Laura Gawthorpe, Retention, Marketing, Recruitment and Information Officer for Hull Fostering, said; “Watching our families arrive, seeing children’s faces light up and hearing that roar of excitement when the show started is something I will never forget. Our foster carers give so much of themselves every single day, often quietly and without thanks. To see them sat together, relaxed, laughing and making memories with their children was incredibly humbling. This is what community looks like. Hull Fostering families are amazing, our children are amazing and I feel so proud to be part of this.”
As the final bows were taken and families slowly made their way out into the winter evening, there was a shared sense that something really special had happened. Not just a pantomime, but a moment of togetherness that will stay with many of our children long after the decorations come down.
Hull Fostering families show up every day for children who need them. On Saturday, Hull showed up for them.
Oh yes we did, and we would do it all again in a heartbeat.