The girls I’ll never forget

SELFLESS

A letter to... The girls I’ll never for et

She left you on the steps of a local church DearMaria, W e weren’t expecting the phone call just before that Christmas. But you needed us and we were ready. As the social workers brought you in, we took in your rosebud lips and rounded cheeks. ‘She’s beautiful, Mummy!’ my daughter Sarah, 13, cried with excitement. ‘We’ve named her Holly, given the time of the year,’ the social worker explained. ‘It’s OK, angel. We’ll look after you,’ I whispered. My husband Bill and I had signed up to be foster parents six months before, in 1978. I already had three children –Sarah, Sophie and Stevie. But I loved being a mum and had so much love to give. After going ALL NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. WORDS: ANNA MATHESON. PHOTOS (POSED BY MODELS): GETTY, ALAMY through the checks and interviews, you were our first foster child. Your mum had given birth to you just a few days before. The doctors thought that she must’ve cut the umbilical cord herself before she left you on the steps of a local church. There was no note. The only clue about your mum was the anorak you’d been wrapped in. A child’s size, age 14 years, it had a handwritten label: Angela . While the police searched for your mum, it was our job to keep you safe. Bill went out to buy formula and nappies, while I got the crib ready. The kids gave you teddies and toys. We were all mesmerised by your adorable face and big, violet eyes. On 5 January, social services told us they’d found your mum Angela –she was just 15. ‘So young!’ I gasped. Angela had kept her pregnancy a secret, and had given birth alone, at home in the bath. In time, little one, we were told that your father was Angela’s dad. He was an angry, evil man who’d raped his daughter. I was horrified. ‘That poor girl –how could this have happened?’ I cried. Angela’s dad had been arrested, her mum was nowhere to be found. ‘Angela has nowhere to go,’ a social worker said. ‘Can she stay with you, too?’ How could we say no? Arriving at our home, Angela was just a child herself. With her wavy, dark hair and violet eyes, she looked so much like you. Reunited with your mum, you instantly stopped crying. ‘Maria,’ Angela smiled sadly. ‘That’s her name.’ Over the next few weeks, we looked after you together. Then Angela’s mother resurfaced and wanted to take her daughter. But she said she couldn’t handle a baby as well. So you To you and your mum Angela... Your mum was just a child

were put up for adoption. ‘Maybe it’s best they both have a fresh start,’ I told Bill, through tears. ‘Be happy, little one,’ your mum said to you, before she left to go with her own mother. I sobbed, told Angela that I’d always be there if she wanted to talk. And, a week later, Maria, you went to live with a lovely family. I cried as I held you for the last time. In just a few months, you left a huge mark on our hearts. And though decades have passed, I still think of you and your mum often. Since then, I’ve fostered more than 100 children. It’s my passion. Because, like you, every child deserves to be loved. Love,Jeaniex

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