Our First Ever ‘Winter Wonderland’ Opened by The Mayor and Mayoress of Rossendale

Olive Branch Fostering held their first ever ‘Winter Wonderland’ Christmas event in Rossendale last weekend, which saw over 50 foster children and their families gather for some festive fun.

The event was opened by Councillor Andrew Walmsley and Ms Pat Smith, the Mayor and Mayoress of Rossendale, who were very impressed by the effort made by the Olive Branch team to make this event a success.

Winter Wonderland was a magical weekend, with a snowy story corner, naughty elf workshop and even a special guest appearance from Santa himself! It was a great opportunity to recognise the fantastic foster families at Olive Branch and bring everyone together. Olive Branch prides themselves on their family feel and it was nice to see the children and young people spending time together, making lasting memories.

“We came to Winter Wonderland for our foster child’s birthday. It was wonderful, the decorations were absolutely gorgeous! The Olive Branch Team are always very welcoming and go above and beyond. I even had my nails done, red and glittery for Christmas! All of the children were having a great time as the activities were brilliant. We were there for the whole day from 10am and didn’t want to leave. We couldn’t fault it.” Debbie, Foster Carer

The entire event wouldn’t have been possible without Helen, Leonie, Zara and Sarah from the Olive Branch team, who worked tirelessly to make sure it ran without a hitch. They even put together Christmas hampers for all of the foster families at Olive Branch, which Debbie said was “absolutely wonderful!”

Sonia, the education lead from Olive Branch, created the perfect Christmas craft corner for all of the children and young people. They made Christmas hats, gingerbread men, reindeer food and baubles with their names on them, which are now hanging proudly on Olive Branch’s tree.

“I love the idea of getting the children to decorate something on the tree and adding to that year on year.” The Mayor of Rossendale

This event was the perfect example of why the staff, carers and young people from Olive Branch call themselves ‘the Olive Branch family.’ The children wrote letters to Santa, took part in a talent show and had their faces and nails painted. They picked up their naughty elf gift box at the end and are already excited for next year.

“Winter wonderland was fabulous. Very colourful, joyous, and engaging. Staff went above and beyond to make the day special for children of all ages. My foster children are older, so it was nice that there were lots of goodies for them too. “ Safia, Foster Carer

Gathering our foster carers and their families together for social events like these is one of many ways we welcome and support our foster carers at Olive Branch. In addition to our social events, we host local Carer Connect events and regular training opportunities, all providing opportunities for carers to meet and support one another.

If you’d like to join our family as an Olive Branch foster carer, we’d love to meet you. Get in touch with us today for an informal chat.