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The annual campaign shines a spotlight on the fostering community, and the life-changing difference foster carers make in children’s lives.
Throughout the next two weeks, Blackpool Council will be celebrating its dedicated foster carers with a host of activities including lighting up the iconic Blackpool Tower.
Fostering families will be invited to several celebration events with a picnic in Stanley Park and special events at North Family Hub and the Salvation Army.
The council’s foster carers will be entered into a raffle to win a range of prizes. These include two Sky Thrill tickets giving admission to all The Blackpool Tower Attractions (Tower Top, Circus and Dungeons), Sandcastle Waterpark and Madame Tussauds Blackpool, plus two family tickets to the High Jinx Magic and Illusion Show at Blackpool Tower Circus kindly donated by Blackpool Tourism Limited.
To celebrate Foster Care Fortnight, Blackpool Tourism Limited has also offered Blackpool Council foster carers half price entry to its attractions from Monday 11 May to Friday 22 May.
The theme for Foster Care Fortnight 2026 is ‘This is Fostering’, celebrating and raising awareness of the different stories across the fostering community.
Alison and Gary Armitage have been fostering with Blackpool Council since May 2021 and are currently fostering a 17-year-old. The couple have focused on caring for teenagers and helping to build their independence skills, guiding them into adulthood.
Alison said:
“We help teenagers get ready for independence and prepare them to get their own flat by building up their skills slowly over time. We show them how to do their own laundry and shopping on a budget from finding the recipes on the internet to going to the supermarket and then coming home to make a spaghetti bolognese.
“Just like you would with your own children, we get our young people used to doing things over time like mowing the lawn, a bit of decorating, a bit of wallpapering, changing lightbulbs, being responsible for their own keys.”
When asked about the rewards of fostering, Alison said: “Fostering is one of the best things we’ve ever done. It’s about the difference you can make. When you see how they change – sometimes when they arrive, they have a lot of problems they are working through but once they realise you have their best interest at heart then it’s easier.
“It’s nice knowing they have got a much better life and that you have made a difference through difficult times. It makes you feel like you’ve contributed and that you are helping people in society.”
As demonstrated by Alison and Gray, foster carers play a crucial role in providing safe, stable and nurturing homes for children and young people.
Despite the established community of foster carers in Blackpool, the council continues to see a shortage of foster carers compared to the number of children in need of a home.
In Blackpool, there are currently around 544 children and young people in care, some of whom are awaiting a foster home.
Without locally based foster carers, children can end up in foster homes outside of their local area, far away from everything they know including family, friends, schools and clubs.
Cllr Jim Hobson, Blackpool Council Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:
“Foster carers like Alison and Gary are the unsung heroes of our communities in Blackpool. Their patience and dedication in preparing young people for the big, wide world is remarkable.
“We’d like to thank Alison and Gary, and all our foster carers for the impact they make on the lives of children and young people in our care.
“Whilst we appreciate our foster carers, we do need more people to consider fostering for Blackpool so if you’ve thought about it in the past, we can help you to make it a reality. Please get in touch with our friendly team if you feel like fostering could be the right fit for you.”
Foster carers with Blackpool Council benefit from a comprehensive support package.
With full training, ongoing support, peer mentors for new carers, an out of hours advice line, a dedicated supervising social worker and access to the in-house psychology team plus a competitive remuneration package, there’s lots of reasons to foster with Fostering Friendly employer, Blackpool Council.
To find out more about fostering, visit www.blackpool.gov.uk/fostering or call 01253 420222.