Hannah and her husband live in Sheffield and adopted siblings in 2013.

After getting married, Hannah and her husband discussed having children, and decided it wasn’t for them. Her younger brother was adopted, and so was her mum, and so it was something she had always grown up around – but it wasn’t something she had considered herself. However, a few years later Hannah trained to be a teacher. It was the first time she came across looking after children, which sparked something in her, and her and her husband had a change of heart, feeling a pull to do something to help a child in need of a forever home. Two and a half years later, in 2013, they adopted siblings aged 4 and 5.

Their son Joshua is now 16. He has some quite significant special needs, but they say he brings so much joy and love to their lives every day. Lydia, his full sibling, is 15. She has an autism diagnosis and suffers from some trauma from her earlier life. While it has not always been a smooth road, they say they can’t imagine their lives any differently.

As they were about to embark on the adoption journey for a second time, they found out they were pregnant, and 9 months later their son Jonah was born. They did a lot to help prepare Josh and Lydia for the transition, and they were so excited to welcome their little brother home – and loved playing with him.

They have always been open about their children being adopted, and they both have life story books to help navigate the early years. They have pursued lots of contact with wider birth family members, including their grandparents, and have maintained a strong link with their foster carers. Hannah has met their birth mum, which she describes as an incredible experience, to see some of the mannerisms they got from her.

“We would say to anyone thinking of adopting, you are going to embark on the most amazing journey, but it will also be a huge challenge! Trust your social workers, embrace the process, just go for it. The rewards don’t come from choosing the easy path. You are doing something remarkable by giving a child a loving forever home, and you won’t regret it.”