Family History

When dreams really do come true

Catherine and Elizabeth Cover came in to BBC Radio Derby to tell us about their experiences of trans-racial adoption back in the sixties. The plight of these girls to track down their roots has taken many years but recently led to the exotic island of the Seychelles. Now they hope to save up enough money for them both to travel over to be reunited, for the first time, with their birth mother.

"That's right, and my twin sister and I are living proof!

"So let us take you on a fast track journey back to 1962, where 44 years ago, we were adopted at just 10 days old.

"From a very young age, our adoptive parents told us that we were adopted.

"Years went by where we experienced the ups and downs of family and community life. We were two black girls living in a white adoptive family and in a predominantly white Derbyshire community.

"Little did we know what the future had in store for us. We too would become involved in creating life stories for other children separated from their families through our nurturing career paths.

"After years of searching and nearly twenty years later, we were told our birth mother had been traced back to her homeland in the Seychelles and had, like us, been praying for this moment!

"And so we made that all important phone call.

"No words could describe how we felt when we said those heart-felt words; "It's your girls Mummy!""

So you see, with patience & perseverance, your dreams really can come true.

No-one has all the answers

Anna Marie and Oscar have a young family in Derby. They have two children of their own but always felt that at some point they would want to adopt.

When their own children were toddlers, Anna Marie applied for an information pack following a national campaign highlighting fostering and adoption. After reading the information back to back, they decided as a family, that fostering was the right choice for them.

Six years later the family have fostered thirteen children. These children placed with the family have all subsequently been adopted following their time with the family.  Anna Marie believes this means her job, is a job well done, finding all of these children families.

The parents believe this to be highly beneficial for their own children as well. The family believe that their children are now well adapted to interact with people who belong to a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Her children also act as role models for the placed children who are always younger than her own.

As a foster carer, the support she receives from her local council's fostering and adoption unit is second to none. Anna Marie says she never feels alone as she receives the training and advice she needs at all times. She insists that by fostering a child you do not need to know everything about parenting. But by acting as a stepping stone for a child to find a family is a team effort.

If you would like to receive more information about Fostering and Adoption as part of the BBC's Family Wanted campaign, fill in the form below (type 'Family Wanted' into the subject box below).