As many people know my husband Ryan and I have been blessed with two beautiful, clever and funny little girls. They are our World and our World is wonderful because of them.

Our journey to becoming a family was a difficult and emotional path to say the least. We were of course helped along by our wonderful family and of course our brilliant friends.

This path of ours lead us to the door of Arc Adoption North East.

Arc Adoption NE are a Sunderland based Independent Adoption Agency. They were recently registered and rated by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’. An understatement in my eyes to say the least. The team at Arc are the most supportive, positive, strong, empathic and wonderful group of people. They are dedicated beyond words to their roles (not jobs they are so much more than that!), and passionate about the work they carry out.

Arc Adoption recently placed their 100th child with a loving forever family. This is a fantastic achievement and we are privileged to have shared in this.

The Helen Lindforth Children’s fund was set up by Arc Adoption in memory of Helen, who was a legendary figure on the North East adoption scene for well over 35 years. Helen had agreed to be the first chair of Arc’s adoption panel, however as the agency was being established and working towards the first panel meeting, Helen became ill and tragically died on 24th June 2014.

Although Helen passed away without having taken on this influential role, she had already played a major part in the formation of ARC. A fund was set up in her memory that would be there to support children placed for adoption for many years to come. The fund is used when a child requires additional support or would benefit from a social experience. It is there to support the difficult times experienced by children who have come from the care system and their new families to help them navigate the emotions and make sense of their experiences.

There are often large waiting lists for mental health support for children and this fund could offer a little help along the way.

A lot of people may read this, and feel they are far removed from the field of adoption, but it touches so many families in so many ways.

No one is exempt from experiencing hardship, illness and tragedy and children can come into adoption from many backgrounds and situations. We all take for granted being safe and secure however no one knows what the future holds for ourselves or our future generations. I for one am grateful to organisations like Arc Adoption who make it their life’s work to build better lives for these children.

The adoption process is not an easy one, its hard, its heart-breaking, its life changing. It changed our lives for the better and more. The support offered by Arc, the handholding, the shoulder to cry on, the endless phone calls, the doubt dismissing, the encouraging looks, was unwavering.

They helped make our dreams come true.

That first evening we brought our daughters home, we tucked our girls in safely in their beds, in their rooms, in their home, our home, our forever family home.

I cried tears of joy and tears of gratitude for all that Arc Adoption had helped us to find.

Whilst I will never fulfil my gratitude to Arc Adoption, I can but try to at least add a little to the Helen Lindforth Children’s fund, to help support others who are on this journey and who perhaps need a little help along the way.

It was an ambition to run the Great North Run one day, and when I got a place for 9th September I thought I would like to raise some money for the fund.

I am also running Sunderland 10k on 13 May.

Friends, and family if you can, and you feel it worthwhile please donate, I can assure you, any amount is welcomed, and I thank you for your generosity with all my heart.