Fostering couple‘s years of devotion recognised with New Year Honour

A Cheshire East couple who have been ‘mum and dad’ to more than 20 children have been awarded the MBE in the New Year Honours.

Ann and Arthur Frost, from Alsager, began fostering children after spotting a newspaper advertisement appealing for couples to come forward.

They are among 12 Cheshire East residents to receive honours..

The couple have four grown up children – two sons of their own Darren and Warren, who has special needs, a daughter Wendy and a son Peter who they have adopted.  They fostered twin boys both with Down Syndrome from the age of six until they were 19 years old.

A year ago, the couple received a long-service award from Cheshire East Council.

Arthur said: “We could not have done this without the support we have had from Cheshire East Council and the former Cheshire County Council. The social workers we have had have been marvellous. We cannot praise them enough.”

Ann said: “Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing.  It has been extremely hard work but very rewarding.”

The couple, who celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2017, said their message to other couples who might be thinking about fostering was to give it very serious thought and to think about the pleasures they can bring to young children who may never have known what Christmas can really mean.

“It was a shock at first,” said Arthur about the letter from the Cabinet Office informing them of the award. “We thought it was a bit of a joke as you read about these things happening.  We are just ordinary people doing a job we love.

Ann said: “We are really looking forward to going to the Palace. It is an honour that we have been recognised.”

Councillor Jos Saunders, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for children and families, said: “I would like to congratulate Ann and Arthur on their MBE and thank them for all the hard work they have put in and the enormous contribution they have made to fostering and adoption in Cheshire East.”

Arthur and Ann join 11 other people from Cheshire East to be recognised in the New Year Honours. They include Mike Rance, former chairman of Macclesfield Town Football Club and present chairman of Make it Macclesfield, former Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson, Jackie Davies, from Nantwich who receives an BEM for services to young people and Mike Finney of Cheshire College.