Meet our not-so-new Regional Lead Sharon, read about our summer activities including Greenbelt Festival, celebrate the success of our summer community fundraising campaign and be among the first to access our Christmas resource pack.

Welcome back to our Central and East of England update – we’re excited to share with you what we’ve been up to over the summer, and what’s coming up in the months ahead.

First and foremost, we’d love to re-introduce you to the brilliant Sharon Partridge-Underwood who recently was appointed Regional Lead for Central and East of England. Sharon has worked at Home for Good since 2018, and has worn a lot of hats since then; we’re so pleased to welcome her into this role. Sharon shares:

"Hello! My name is Sharon Partridge-Underwood and I have just joined the Engagement Team at Home for Good! I have worked at Home for Good since 2018 and I am looking forward to using my skills and knowledge to grow and deepen the work in the Central England area. My mother is adopted, and so I have experienced first-hand how this has changed the trajectory for my family. My first few weeks on the Engagement Team have been busy connecting with people. If you would like to get in touch or meet for coffee, please email me on [email protected]."

September has seen the last few donations roll in from our summer fundraising campaign, Walk with me. On average, children in care are moved 18+ miles because there are not enough local carers. Every child and young person in care should be able to stay in their local area if it’s safe for them to do so. We’re working to find local homes for local children and teenagers so that no one is put in this position. This summer, we wanted to stand with them; we said we would walk with them. Amazingly, individuals, families, groups of friends and whole churches laced up their shoes and took to the streets, trails and mountains to demonstrate their commitment to children in care by walking, rolling, scooting – any kind of moving! – around 18 miles, raising vital funds for Home for Good in the process. At the time of writing this update, we’ve raised nearly £20,000 – isn’t that incredible! And we know of a few more who are still to take on their walk. We want to say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who walked with us this summer, and to all who donated. Your support will make a huge difference for children in care.

The team have been busy over the summer months. It was brilliant to be at Greenbelt Festival this year over the August bank holiday weekend, where we were joined by over 11,000 others to be inspired, challenged and encouraged around faith, arts and justice. We had a busy space in the Greenbelt Takeaway; where nearly 200 new people signed up to our Home for Good Digest (which, by the way, you can sign up to here if you’re not already subscribed to receive news, updates and points for prayer!). If you’re reading this as one of our newest friends made at Greenbelt, welcome! We’re so glad you’re here. Our primary ask at Greenbelt was to invite people to contact their MP, asking them to prioritise teenagers in care. We collected 244 postcards to send to MPs, representing constituencies all over the UK, demonstrating really clearly and loudly that this is something the Church wants to see addressed. We hosted a solidarity session at the festival, as well as a drinks reception, both of which were well-attended, and we had the exciting opportunity to join David and Carrie Grant for their session in the Pagoda venue where they discussed their new book and engaged in discussion around family. Amazingly, we left Greenbelt with eight new supported lodgings enquiries, as well as seven for fostering and one for adoption – how encouraging to think of the impact this will have on children and teenagers in care.

Sharon loved visiting Gleneagles Church in Wellingborough to share about the experiences and needs of local children in care and the ways in which we can make a difference. She also met with a church leader recently who has decided their church will become a Home for Good Church. We just love visiting churches across Central and East of England and beyond, so if you would like a Home for Good speaker to visit your church, please visit our website and complete the Book a speaker form. If you’d like to find out more about what it means to be a Home for Good Church, you can read more here.

One of our brilliant Champions was interviewed on Wycome Radio recently! We’re so grateful for all of our incredible volunteers. Sharon is looking forward to connecting with volunteers and is arranging the next quarterly zoom call which gives an opportunity to hear of local work happening and to share upcoming Home for Good plans and resources for our wonderful Champions.

While the summer may be drawing to a close, our resolve to secure better for children and young people remains strong. We know that this ‘back to school’ season can be really challenging for some children and young people with care experience; for some, it can be one of the hardest times of year. That’s why we’ve launched our Back-to-school fundraising campaign. With your support, we can find more foster carers, adoptive families and supported lodgings hosts – because it’s easier to go back to school when you know you’ve something stable to come home to. Donate today and invest in the lives of children and young people. Find out more here.

Finally, despite the recent heatwaves, Home for Good have started to put plans in place for this year’s Christmas resource package! We are so excited to share with you a brand new, free and flexible package of all-age resources for your church to enjoy this Christmas season. A promise of hope includes a brand new video, some inspiration for a talk or sermon, congregational prayers and activities for children and youth groups. The Christmas resource package will be released later in the Autumn, but you can sign up now to register your interest. As soon as the resources are available, you will immediately be sent a link to sign up to view and download them. Simply complete the form here.

What can I be praying for?

We would love you to stand with us in prayer as we continue to work to find a home for every child who needs one in Central and East of England.

• Please pray for Sharon as she settles into her new role and begins to build new connections in the area.
• Give thanks for all who supported our Walk with me campaign!
• Pray for our volunteers as they support and carry out the vision of Home for Good, and for new volunteers as they come on board.
• Pray for those who made enquiries at Greenbelt as they begin their journey, and for the MPs who will receive postcards from us; let’s pray boldly that we will see change as a result.
• Please pray that our Christmas resources will be a blessing to churches this year.

Check out our prayer resource, Let’s pray, for additional thoughts, inspiration and points to guide your prayers.

Are there any events happening soon that I can attend?

Head over to our Central and East England page to find out what is happening in the area and find all the local support groups.