A Leicestershire couple are celebrating an inspiring 45 years of fostering.
Tricia and Norm have cared for more than 200 children and are hoping their story will encourage more people to contact the county council and become much-needed foster carers.
Tricia’s motivation for continuing with the highs and lows of caring for so many children is simple; she loves children.
I love children and I knew, through raising my own children and looking after those we cared for, this is what my life is was meant to be
Person:Foster carer Tricia
In total, the couple have helped care for 211 children including a number of sibling pairs, parent and child placed together, teenagers and young children with serious medical conditions
They decided to look into fostering after Trish was told by doctors after the birth of their first child that they couldn’t have any more children.
“I came from a big family so could not bear the thought of only having the one child, so we got in touch with Leicestershire County Council and eventually arranged our first foster placement,” added Trish who recently celebrated her 49 wedding anniversary with Norm.
As it happened they proved the doctors wrong and went on to have two more birth children, while continuing to foster at the same time.
“Where children have gone on to be adopted, some of their adopted parents have stayed in touch and sent photos; we’ve even met some of them recently. It’s fantastic to see.
“As you can imagine we get Christmas cards in the hundreds. Fostering is rewarding, but it is not always an easy ride. It is hard to say goodbye, you’ve got to love them and give a little bit of yourself to them. It is fantastic to see them settled and enjoying life with their new families."
The pair recently had their amazing achievement acknowledged by receiving a long-service award at a celebration event held for the council’s foster carers.
Sharon Cooke, assistant director for children and family services at Leicestershire County Council, said: “Tricia and Norm are wonderful examples of what fostering is all about, they have touched the lives of hundreds of children and young people in Leicestershire.
“Not everyone will foster hundreds of children, but all our carers make a difference. If you’re aged 21 or over, have a spare room and the devotion required to help a child, please do get in touch. Fostering really is a rewarding role.”
If you’re interested in fostering and want to find out more, you can attend one of the council’s monthly information events at County Hall, have a cuppa with the team and find out more in a relaxed environment.
The next ones will take place on Wednesday, 31 May and Thursday 22 June from 6:30-8pm.
For more information on fostering with the county council visit: fosteringleicestershire.com or call 0116 305 0505. You can also speak to the team if you’d like to find out more about adoption.