Gloucestershire County Council has thanked almost 200 foster carers for their commitment to fostering and the amazing care they provide for children and young people.

The county council ‘Foster Carers Appreciation Evening’ was held on Friday, February 23 2024 at the ‘Manor by the Lake’ hotel in Cheltenham.

This annual event is the council’s celebration of foster carers and a chance to say a huge thank you for everything they do to keep children and young people safe, by providing a loving and stable home for children in care.

These very special A-list guests were welcomed to the appreciation event by leaders from the service, and had the opportunity to explore and enjoy the manor and its beautiful grounds, followed by dinner, a raffle and dancing.

As well as saying a massive thank you, the event provided the perfect opportunity for foster carers to catch up with their peers and the Fostering Service teams who give them ongoing support throughout the year. Attendees included Cllr Stephen Davies the cabinet member for children’s safeguarding and early years, Paul Shallcross, director of safeguarding, Dan Jones, assistant director and Tammy Wheatley, the council’s head of fostering.

All foster carers received a goodie bag with small gifts and a Love to Shop voucher, a small recognition of the amazing job they do.

Cllr Stephen Davies, cabinet member for children’s safeguarding and early years at Gloucestershire County Council said: “I was delighted to see so many of our wonderful foster carers to our annual ‘Foster Carers Appreciation Evening’. They do so much for our children and young people, it was a privilege to meet them and celebrate the huge contribution they all make to our communities.

“We are calling for families, couples, and individuals to contact us now for a no obligation chat about joining our local fostering family, where assessment, training and extensive ongoing support is available to all foster carers. If you have space in your heart and your home, with a desire to make a difference in a child’s life, please get in touch with our team.”

Whether you are employed or not, you live alone or as part of a family, if you are interested in fostering, we would love to hear from you. Contact us now to find out more about how we can support you to become a foster carer for Gloucestershire County Council.

Please visit www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/fostering or call 01242 532654.