Paul works in the communications industry and husband Gerry is a full-time foster carer. They have seen first-hand how welcoming a child into your home and hearts can turn a young person’s life around. They've been fostering for more than 10 years.
“One of our foster children has been with us for seven years. She’s now 17 and is at college.
“From our perspective, it’s been fantastic having a child with us for that length of time and we have been able to provide her with a stable loving home.
“We put a big emphasis on her education because we could tell she had the capacity to do really well. We are so proud of her.”
There have been many defining moments with foster children in their care, but Paul recalls one that had him wiping the tears from his eyes: “One girl didn’t like physical contact at all and there wasn’t any reason for it. I remember it was my birthday and she just walked up to me, gave me a hug and said she loved me.
“It was an incredibly emotional moment, and one of the many occasions that confirmed we’d made the right decision to foster.”