Memories Made at Flamingo Land: Team Fostering Holiday 2025

Hello. For those of you who may not know me yet, I’m Martin Hanson, the Registered Manager for Team Fostering North East. This May half term, I had the pleasure of joining our annual fostering holiday for the first time, and I wanted to share a few thoughts about what a special experience it was. I must also mention my two boys, Will and Zach, aged 6, who had a brilliant week, prior to which they had been counting the days down like it was Christmas. They weren’t the only ones. When I arrived one of our Foster Carers told me their little boys had been like a bottle of fizzy pop all week, ready to burst with excitement for their first time at Flamingo Land.

For me, it was a great opportunity to spend time with some of our amazing Foster Carers, children and staff in a different setting – one that felt relaxed, fun, and full of connection. Hopefully, everyone who came along made some wonderful memories and had a great week. And for anyone who wasn’t able to join us this year, I hope this gives you a sense of what makes it such a unique and special part of our fostering calendar.

Making memories

There were so many highlights throughout the week, with some children conquering their fears of the big roller coasters, and others breaking records (and winning prizes) for cheering the loudest. But the real joy came from the small, everyday moments. Watching children laugh and play together outside the caravans – racing around on Segways, playing kirbsy, sharing snacks, and making new friends. It reminded me just how powerful those simple, unstructured times can be. The weather was typically unpredictable, with intermitting sunshine and rain, but it didn’t stop anyone from making the most of every day. There was a brilliant energy across the site throughout the day, and as the evening drew in those energy levels seemed to rise even higher.

Those children I saw at the evening entertainment were loving every second. Loud, lively and most importantly lots of smiles. I must give a special mention to one of our amazing carers Helen, who was lucky enough to be chosen to go on stage and take part in a fashion show which required the children to design an outfit out of a binbag. Huge well done to Helen for a brilliant second-place finish – maybe next year you’ll take the top spot!

Helen sent us this fantastic feedback following the holiday:

“An amazing week catching up with other carers and their brilliant kids.

“Lots of highlights however the kids haven’t stopped talking about how we were picked to go on stage and they had to create an outfit for me out of a bin bag!

“Knowing that when A moved in with us just over 3 years ago she would only speak to one teaching assistant at her school and avoided eye contact with any other staff, to now see a confident young lady get on a stage in an unknown place with a huge audience and dress me in a stylish bin bag was brilliant.

“I’m so proud of my two superstars.”

Our foster carer community

One of the most rewarding parts of the holiday for me was seeing the strength of our fostering community in action. Whether it was carers supporting one another with advice and encouragement, or children naturally including one another in their games, the sense of care and connection was everywhere. I was struck also by the kindness shown by so many of our children – and how they welcomed others in, including those children they’d just met. It was a reminder of the empathy and openness that sits at the heart of fostering, and of the amazing role our Foster Carers play in nurturing that.

It was also lovely to chat with Foster Carers informally throughout the week. Whether it was over a coffee, a walk, or just passing by, those moments gave me a real insight into the day-to-day experiences of our fostering families, and how much strength, humour, and compassion they bring to the role.

Here’s to next year

I want to say a big thanks to the Education and Support Service for all their hard work in planning and delivering the holiday. These things don’t happen by accident, and our Boss of Fun (Rachel Dawson) puts a lot of time and effort into ensuring things run as smoothly as possible. You’ll all be glad to know that Rachel and the team take this responsibility very seriously and they are already looking forward to the 2026 holiday. To those who couldn’t make it this time, I hope we’ll see you on the next one.

To everyone who came along – thank you for making it such an enjoyable and memorable week, if the smiles, laughter, and sheer energy shown by the children is anything to go by, they absolutely loved it.

My family and I had such a great time, and I feel incredibly proud to be part of a community like Team Fostering.  I think it’s only right I finish with a collective review, not from me, but from my two boys (who rarely agree on anything!). After some serious debate they both decided that this holiday was, in fact, better than Christmas.  If that’s not a barometer for measuring magic, I’m not sure what is.

— Martin Hanson
Registered Manager, North East