Fouch Family Newsletter 2016

2016 has been a year many of us might want to forget for all sorts of reasons. From various political upheavals, to the deaths of many much loved public figures, to the horrors of the wars we see raging across the Middle-East and Africa.

So, enough of that as this is meant to a cheerful Christmas missive!


For the Fouches in the sunny Medway Towns, it has been a year of steady rather than radical change, so for us at a personal level it has not been such an awful year, overall.

2016 was the year that Aimie learnt how to bend in even more challenging directions, Sam discovered Star Trek [!], Hannah  buried herself in exams, Debbi survived another challenging year for her pre-school (thanks to God!) and Steve turned fifty.

Aimie's passion for gymnastics went from strength to strength, as she moved up from the
beginners class to more advance aerobic and accro-tumble classes. She also started a musical theatre course, and has thoroughly enjoyed learning to dance and sing.

But for Aimie, watching the gymnastics at the Rio Olympics this summer was a huge inspiration - she has her eyes on the 2024 games!



Sam moved to the upper-school, as he entered Year 9 and started his GCSE options. Along the way he discovered, to his and our surprise, that he rather enjoyed drama! So he joined the drama club and started the performing arts CGSE, and did his first school production as Dr Barnardo in a rather free adaptation of A Christmas Carol (and thoroughly enjoyed himself in the process).

He has also added Star Wars and Star Trek to his list of obsessions, and can now bore for England on trivia about both!

While Hannah has continued her singing career in the school choir, NChant, the main focus of her
year has been GCSEs, taking two in year 10 and she is now in the midst of mocks and assessments in year 11. So she seldom comes up for air.

When she does one of her occasional appearances, it's to knit, play the flute of sing along with her friends.

Somehow we seem to have three children with an interest in the performing arts.  Steve suspects they get this from Debbi; Debbi denies all knowledge and responsibility!

Debbi has had a tough year at the Pre-school, but has come through with flying colours and several new (and excellent) staff members. However, numbers of children remain low (as they do for all the pre-schools in the area), so it promises to be a tough New Year as well.

In the meantime she became an Aunty for the second time, and had a great time getting to know her first neice, Connie, and spending time with her sister and brother-in-law around the birth of Beatrice (or Bibi as she is widely known!).



Steve turned fifty, ran another marathon and has begun to write a lot

more for work, including writing a book and starting up a new magazine.

He spent June in the Philippines helping lead a international conference of Christian nurses, taking on a new responsibility as Treasurer for Nurses Christian Fellowship International.

He rather enjoyed becoming an uncle for the second time as well.


Here's praying and hoping 2017 is great year for you and yours, and if we didn't see you this year, let's hope we can catch up in the New Year!