Hampshire Hive Blog: July 2021

We had arranged to meet up at a local park for our social get together. The event had been planned for three weeks so we had no idea what the weather would be like. We woke up to heavy rain which lasted for most of the morning, but the day started to lighten up by 11:00am so it looked promising. By the time of our social get together the rain had stopped - happy days! By 1:15pm five Hive families had turned up; some knew each other, and others were new to the Hive or had not met each other before.

A particular moment that will stay with me was when a young man turned up looking sad and not mixing. One of the Hive members called their young man over and explained to him that he was feeling sad and could do with a friend. The young man went over to him and introduced himself and within a few minutes he had a smile on his face, and they were both playing in the park together like they had been lifelong friends.

Soon we were making play mushrooms, playing fruit salad and the children especially enjoyed the washing machine. It was lovely to see those smiley faces. Following the fun and games with the new parachute I brought, the children wanted to play rounders which was a request we could not refuse. It was great to see the children taking turns, working as a team and accepting being caught out. They set an example to us adults who were a little competitive at times.

While the children were having fun playing rounders, the teenagers were sharing stories and enjoying the atmosphere. They shared their phone numbers and Instagram accounts so they could keep in contact. It was a lovely afternoon which had been scheduled to finish by 3pm, but we were still sat speaking to each other almost two hours later.

Following the event, I thanked everyone for coming. We had great feedback which was so lovely to hear; ‘Thank you for a lovely day. We all had a lovely time x’ and another wrote on our Facebook group, ‘Thank you for organising Della and Johnny it was lovely xx The children enjoyed it xx’ (Hive member).

On the day, one Hive foster carer said to me ‘I am so glad I came we have really enjoyed ourselves’. She said that she was ‘nervous about coming as her young person really did not want to come because he doesn’t like mixing with people.’ He joined in with the parachute and was outstanding at rounders.

One comment was made on the day that will stay with me because it is what the Hive is all about… ‘It felt like one big happy family’. Our Hive really does feel like it is one big happy family, sharing and making memories that will last a lifetime. Our next social event is at the end of the month, and we are really looking forward to it.

If you are interested in joining the Hampshire Hive, please get in touch. All Hampshire foster carers are welcome, whether you’re newly approved or have been fostering for over five years. Speak to your Supervising Social Worker for more information or email [email protected]

Article written by foster carer.