Young boy’s touching letter shows the ‘power of fostering’

A young boy’s touching letter to his foster parents has had people reaching for the tissues after being shared on social media.

The heartfelt message, thanking the couple for looking after him, was tweeted by Rochdale Council to draw attention to the happiness fostering can bring.

The council says it has had a ‘lovely reaction’, attracting dozens of ‘likes’ as well as being retweeted and quoted by other users.

Coming with the warning ‘brace yourself for this thread, tissues at the ready’ the youngster’s letter is sure to warm even the frostiest of hearts.

It reads: “It has been five years since I came to you, and since then you have looked after and cared for me as much as you can!

“Even if something has been made difficult along the way, you have persevered and have done what is best for me rather than yourselves.

“One of my earliest and best memories of being here was on Christmas morning in 2017 and you came to take me downstairs to see if Santa had gone.”

By this point, most readers will almost certainly have ‘something in their eye’ and the letter continues to tug at the heartstrings.

“I would just like to say thank you for everything that you have done in the past five years,” it goes on.

“You are the best people ever and I just hope you know that.”

The boy signs off with ‘lots of love’ before adding ‘PS I love you more than anyone else in the world’.

Councillor Rachel Massey, cabinet member for children’s services and education says the letter ‘really shows the power of fostering’.

She said: “Our foster carers make a huge difference to children and young people and we can never thank them enough.

“When the carers shared this letter with us there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. They should be very proud of receiving it. They have a wonderful bond with the young boy and he’s gone from strength to strength in their family.”

Councillor Massey adds that there has been ‘amazing feedback’ since the letter was shared on Twitter.

“The people of Rochdale appreciate and see first-hand how wonderful foster carers are and what a positive difference fostering can be,” she said.

“We’re privileged to have many excellent carers but we always need more. Please really think about it and the amazing difference you could be making with us.”

Rochdale Council has two ‘drop-in’ events next month for those who want to find out more about fostering.

These will be held in the Rhyddings Suite at The Royal Toby Hotel, Manchester Road, Castleton.

The first is on Monday, February 7 between 4pm and 7pm, followed by another on Tuesday, February 8 between 10am and noon.

Anyone interested in fostering can contact the council’s fostering team via rochdale.gov.uk/FosterForRochdale

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter