Adoptee, author and BMX superstar John Buultjens is the latest addition to our team of ambassadors.
John grew up in Glasgow where he experienced violence at the hands of his birth father and was placed in care aged seven. He suffered burns after being thrown in a fire and was knocked out by his father during one attack.
After being placed in care on Christmas Eve, John was fostered at the age of ten and his foster parents went on to adopt him.
After being adopted, John became a professional BMX rider and he is now the global brand manager for Haro BMX Bikes in 80 countries around the world.
John wrote an account of his amazing yet turbulent life in his book, Ride. In 2018, he will be starring in a film of the same name produced by ESX Entertainment. In this big budget production – filmed in California – John plays his abusive father.
When asked about his new role, John said: “I’m honoured to have been asked to be an ambassador for Adoption UK and I’m so proud to be working with this amazing organisation. I know what a fantastic job adoptive parents do for their children and I owe everything to my adoptive parents – they are my role models. It means everything to me that I can make them so proud today.”