Anglia Carers Summer BBQ

The sun was shining, the Nexus flag was gently waving to people in the breeze, and the smell of a BBQ was tantalising everyone’s taste buds. It could only mean one thing. The annual Carers Summer BBQ was back! Although the vast expanse of parkland at High Lodge in Thetford had disintegrated into sand, it didn’t stop us from laying out our picnic blankets like a patchwork quilt and getting ready for our lunch. The constant hum of chatter and laughter flittered through the air while the Anglia team put on a spread like they had a pop-up café in the forest!

Covid had stopped events like this, so carers were reuniting with families they already knew and being introduced to new ones that had recently joined. The kick of a football, and a game of bowles brought children together, and the game of ‘football rounders’ led by Outreach Worker Liam certainly brought out the competitive but fun side in all that took part.

A carer said,

“When we all get together like this, it feels like a family reunion. You might see people at support groups or training, but you just pick up from where you left off!.

Sue, the Team Manager at Anglia, said,

The event was a great success with 88 people attending. Events like this are an opportunity to bring our local fostering community together so they can begin to make and broaden local connections with other foster carers and children.

These events are also an opportunity for carers birth children to meet other birth children within a fostering family and share their own experiences of the challenges and the successes of making a change in a child’s life.

We look forward to seeing you all again soon!