Roman, now 11, was adopted by husband and wife, Richee and Vicky when he was five years old to have a safe and stable home.

He has a special memory box containing photos and items from his life before lived with his adoptive parents, including things from his previous school. After moving schools, he made lots of friends, and has now just started high school.

Roman knows his birth grandparents well and spends a lot of time with them, which he loves. He is very pleased he has three sets of grandparents that spoil him! When they go on holiday as a family, they go camping or caravanning by the beach and do tandem cycling.

Roman most enjoys going on long walks with his family, cycling with his mum, playing music with his dad, and spending time with his pets: Daisy the dog, Parsnip and Broccoli the cats, and Steve the bearded dragon (who is adopted like Roman).

Roman’s parents Richee and Vicky are preferential adopters. Together since they were teenagers, as far as they are aware, they could have had a birth child but they always knew they wanted to adopt a child. Richee himself was adopted age four and it was important for them to help a child in need a home.

They initially thought they wanted to adopt a child under the age of three, however when they went to an adoption event, their minds completely changed when they found out it was harder for older children to find a home.

Their adoption journey took around 18 months, and Richee and Vicky were really pleased with the level of support they received. Because Roman would love a little sister, Richee and Vicky would consider adopting again in the future.

Roman: “I was five when I first met mummy and daddy. I felt a bit scared and a bit excited. I came to my mum and dad to be safe and have fun. My favourite thing about my mum is when we cycle, and my favourite thing about my dad is playing music with him. I’m looking forward to growing up with mummy and daddy.”