"I remember the day our adoptive children came home. They were calling us 'Mum and Dad' straight away"

Hannah, a 39-year-old mum-of-three, has two adoptive children and one biological child with her husband, Mark.

She grew up around adoption, with an adopted younger brother and her mother having been adopted when she herself was young.

“I just thought it was a very normal thing to do,” she told The Star.

Early on in their relationship, the pair did not have plans for any children, let alone adoption, but after Hannah’s teacher training the conversation came up again.

“I started to work with children. It was heartbreaking sometimes,” she said. “We started talking about kids again. We went from not planning to have children to choosing to adopt first.”

Two years later, in 2013, Hannah and Mark adopted siblings Joshua and Ellen, aged 5 and 4 at the time.

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.

Ellen 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. 

Hannah said: “Our children had never been to parks and when we did introductions and doing those normal family things, it was a radical change. It was remarkable for them as they had just not had those opportunities.”

It is so special for adoptive children to feel that sense of family, being adopted often lifts children out of poverty and the care system.

The day Joshua and Ellen arrived at Hannah and Mark’s home will be a forever cherished memory.

“I can’t tell you how emotional it is,” Hannah said. “We met them at 11 o’clock in the morning. It was within 30 seconds of them being in the house when I had to go to the toilet and cry. Joshua and Ellen called us ‘Mum and Dad’ straight away... It was amazing.”

The couple are sharing their family’s story with You Can Adopt and their ‘The Journey’ campaign, which coincided with National Adoption Week to highlight the possibilities of adopting.

It is a critical time for adopting. You Can Adopt says the latest data shows a 22 per cent increase in the number of children needing to be adopted who have not yet found a forever family, alongside a decline in people coming forward.

“Adoption is a very different ride,” Hannah told The Star. “It’s a different form of family, but it is a wonderful way of forming a family. It is a hugely rewarding ride.

“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.”