More than 300 books hidden for children to find by team at Sunderland adoption agency

Workers at ARC Adoption North East, based in Sunderland, hid hundreds of books around the region for children to find around World Book Day on March 2.

Adoption worker Caroline Blakie said the team wanted to spread some awareness and understanding about adoption too all children across the region.

"On Monday we started putting story books in parks, outside schools, community centres and other social places for children to fine, read and then re-hide,” she said.

"This has been a great success. We have hidden over 300 books and still have lots to share.

"Some of the books we have been hiding are stories around understanding adoption such as ‘The making of u’, written by Kendra Fairbairn. Kendra was an adoptive parent herself.”

She added: "One of the biggest things our children we work with struggle with is feeling different to peers at school and helping other children and friends about adoption. We thought this would be a great, fun idea to speak the awareness and understanding.

"Lots of our families got on board and shared some books also and hid them in there local area.”

ARC Adoption, a not-for-profit-agency, was founded in Sunderland in 2013 by Terry Fitzpatrick.

He featured in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in 2021 for his work, and was “honoured and privileged” to receive his OBE by The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, during a ceremony at Windsor Castle in 2022.