Sue and Dave Cook have been recognised in the New Year Honours list for their incredible work helping over 60 children over the past 20 years
Sue and Dave Cook have received MBEs for their services to foster care in St Helens(Image: Supplied)
A husband and wife recognised in the New Year Honours list for their work fostering over 60 children said “it’s tough at times but we are proud to see the people they become”. Sue and Dave Cook, from St Helens, have spent the past two decades offering love and stability to dozens of children who have come into their home and become part of their family.
The pair have been named in the King’s New Year Honours list for services to foster care at St Helens Borough Council, joining dozens of Merseyside recipients who will all be recognised for amazing work within our communities. Speaking to the ECHO, Sue, 60, said: “It’s still sinking in, we are so happy and proud.
“We got the letter in the post and thought someone was playing a prank on us. We rang up our supervising social worker and the Cabinet Office to make sure it was real. It’s lovely to know someone thought so highly of us.”
The pair, who have five “amazing” children and seven grandchildren of their own, fell into fostering by accident when they agreed to help a friend look after a foster baby for a night. Sue said: “We didn’t want to give her back. We just thought it was so nice. We started fostering but every time we moved a child on we had a void that needed filling.”
Dozens of children have come into their home over the years; some being moved on after a matter of days, while others have stayed for a decade. Sue and Dave’s commitment to the children who come through their doors doesn’t end when they leave care.
They have maintained strong bonds with everyone they have fostered and treat former children as extended members of their family. The pair proudly said one of their first foster children will soon graduate from university.
Sue said the work is hard and challenging, especially watching the struggles the children have to go through. But she added: “We like to show the children there is a nice side to life.”
Sue added: “The most rewarding thing is seeing them grow into their own person, seeing their character come out and all their problems going. We are so proud to see the people they become.”
Dave, 56, told the ECHO: “We are absolutely blown away by the honours. There have been tough times, there have been fun times. The end result is they become independent people who can live on their own and have their own lives. We can see that change.”
He continued: “Anyone who is considering fostering should absolutely do it. There are so few of us and so many children. It can be hard but to see those little changes and knowing you are making a small difference is special.
“We have an amazing lifetime of work. There is no amount of money we could get that would replace the feeling of helping someone. That is what keeps us going.
“It’s been good to give back to St Helens. I had a bit of a chequered past for a few years and I had special people who helped me through that. I hope I’ve given back.”
Sue added: “Don’t hesitate [to foster]. It’s tough going at times but it’s so needed. There are so many in need of love so don’t hesitate. I will continue going until my body can’t. Even then I’ll carry on but Dave will have to push me around in a wheelchair.”
The British honours system recognises people who have “made achievements in public life” and “committed themselves to serving and helping Britain”. It acknowledges long-term volunteers, innovators, entrepreneurs, individuals displaying “moral courage”, those making a difference in their community or field of work or people improving life for others less able to help themselves.
Honours are given to people involved in a range of fields, including sport, health, science and technology, education, business, and the arts and media.
Others recognised in the New Year Honours include Jennifer Turner, who will be recognised for services to Southport’s school crossing patrol and road safety; Rachael Hennigan, the principal and chief executive at Hugh Baird College in Bootle; Kenneth Hamilton Lawton, for his work helping vulnerable families and the veteran community; and Arnold Lewis, for services to Liverpool’s Jewish community.
Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer can find out more on the Foster4 website.