Lorna, 52, has two daughters of her own, three grandchildren and lives with husband Tony. She has been fostering for 14 years after giving up a job in accounts and now specialises in looking after teenagers.
“We used to live in London and I’d always wanted to foster. When we moved to Colchester, we had a spare bedroom and I knew I would be leaving accounts to foster instead.”
She became a child minder and fostered alongside this: “Gradually, I stopped the child minding because fostering was overtaking, as planned.”
She started fostering children slightly younger than her own and as her children grew so did the age of the foster children.
Her daughters have long since left home, but her house is still full: “Now I prefer having teenagers – I like the interaction with them. I get a lot from it and they are great company. It’s nice to see them developing; growing in confidence.
“Each child is different. It can be hard, but it is very rewarding, too, seeing them blossom. It is nice being part of that.”