Giving it Beans
A place for all of us at CAF (children and adults) to show off all the amazing things we’ve done!
Together we have experienced so much and we wanted a space to show it all off!
That’s why we created Giving it Beans – a space to show off all of the awesome stuff we
have done – if you send it to us, we’ll feature it here.
It’s time to show the world just how awesome we are!
Ready to give it beans with us?
The team have been busy with lots of activities and really smashing it! Have a browse below.
If you’ve recently had an achievement you’d like to share then get in touch and you can feature on our ‘Giving it Beans’ page!
Big day out!
We are excited to share a photo of some of our team celebrating 10 wonderful years on our Big Summer Day Out!
It was a day filled with joy, laughter, and memorable moments. Here’s to many more years of amazing adventures together!
A visit to Villa park!
We are incredibly proud to share that one of our young people had the opportunity to visit Aston Villa Football Club.
During the visit, they experienced a dream come true by lifting the championship trophy, just like their idol Jack Grealish.
Getting stuck in…
We are thrilled to highlight the fantastic achievement of one of our young people, who recently spent a day gaining hands-on experience with a local bricklaying company.
By the end of the day, they were expertly laying bricks perfectly in line with the dryline. Fantastic work and a great example of the skills and dedication our youth demonstrate!
Team Achievements!
In 2024, I ran the London Marathon in support of Brain Research UK. I raised over £3,000 to help adults and children who are neurologically diverse, like my amazing nephew Oscar.
It was such a personal challenge with winter training and self-motivation and even during the race, I hurt my foot! But I knew I had to keep going because I had waited so long to be part of this event and was thinking about all my friends, family, and the people I work with to really motivate me.
The crowd’s energy helped me finish the race. I believe that if I can train and run a marathon, anyone can if they believe in themselves. Self-belief is amazing!
Gary Solomon, a CAF Foster Carer, runs for a great cause!
In January 2024 I decided to challenge myself and began running. As someone who has never been into running, I could only run up to 1km at the start, so it hasn’t been easy. Since then, I have caught the bug and having recently completed 10k in the Birmingham Run, I have now I have signed up for the Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon. With it being such a challenge for me I thought it would be a great opportunity to raise money for two charities close to my heart.
The first charity is particularly close to my heart; the Kleefstra Syndrome Charity. My daughter Faith has Kleefsra syndrome which has affected her daily life since birth. So I chose the charity has been a great support to us as too so many other families that live in the UK.
The second charity I am running for is the Pulmonary Fibrosis Charity. Jason Stafford, who was not only one of my closest friends but my family, unfortunately passed away after a short diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosisthe. The charity do great work in research around the disease and supporting families that are affected by it. Any donations would be greatly appreciated!
Team Achievements!
I joined the Macmillan Cancer Support national challenge “I’m running 31 miles in May”. I completed the challenge in memory of everyone impacted by Cancer and to raise much-needed funds for McMillian Cancer Support.
Children Always First vs The Wolfrun Challenge!
The team took part in the Wolfrun Challenge which was a 10k obstacle challenge which pushed the team to their limits! They raised more than £600 for the Basement Project which supports those under 25 with issues or challenges they may be facing. Well done team!
A real team effort!
The team made it into the local newspaper!
It was messy work!
Climbing for Children!
On 20th April, I decided to Abseil 200ft for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I managed to raise over £300 which surpassed my initial target of £150.
I had never done anything like this before to such a scale and it was so much fun! The demands on specialist health services fall on hard times and every donation big or small is very much needed and valued. My brother and children I have supported over the years have needed the services of this hospital so it felt a very personal reason to do this.
Big day out!
As a Youth Worker, I wanted to celebrate one of CAF’s young people’s growth in confidence and independence skills so I approached the organiser of Birmingham Pride and secured free tickets as a special treat.
It was a fantastic day filled with fun memories, learning and vibrant LGBT celebrations. I had never seen them more confident than on that day and we didn’t want to leave!
