On Saturday 13 December, 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. 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 don’t 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 wasn’t 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 a real thrill. The buzz, the excitement and the chatter in the aisles before the curtain even went up said everything. Hull has heart, and that Saturday, our hearts 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’s attendance 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 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 shouted back at the cast, laughed out loud, stood up in the aisles, clapped, gasped and got fully involved, reminding us exactly why events like this matter. The theatre was alive with joy. It was noisy, it was messy and it was brilliant! It felt properly Christmassy.
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. That Saturday, Hull showed up for them.
Oh yes, we did. And we would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Watch this short video that captures the voices of Hull Fostering’s foster families: https://youtube.com/shorts/DqCUuG7vWgs?si=7lYlq_r9_Kovd26o. for more information on Hull Fostering, click here.
Laura Gawthorpe
Marketing, Recruitment, Retention and Information Officer – Fostering and Adoption, Hull City Council