An awards ceremony was held at County Hall this week to celebrate the achievements of foster carers in Lancashire.

Lancashire County Council’s fostering team and carers themselves nominated people for a range of awards before the event.

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Georgine Lee, senior manager of the Fostering and Adoption Team at Lancashire County Council said: “All of our foster carers work tirelessly to improve the lives of looked after children in Lancashire and we wanted to do something to recognise their efforts.

“Well done to our winning foster carers, there were many deserving nominations and it was a tough job for our judges to shortlist the winners.

“A fun night was had by all and it was such a pleasure to be part of it and see the foster carers have a well earned break.”

The winning foster carers in Central and South Lancashire were –

• Foster family of the year – Eileen and Allan Wetzstein from Chorley
• Friends and family foster carer of the year – Carol and Kevin McClelland from Leyland
• New foster carer of the year – Chris and Kevin Marsh from Skelmersdale
• Outstanding contribution to the fostering service – Mandy and Phil Owen from Skelmersdale
• Outstanding contribution to children in our care – Russell and Christel Banks from Chorley

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The council is currently recruiting new people who can foster all ages of children, particularly siblings who need to stay together and teenagers. No formal experience or qualifications are needed, all they ask is that you have a spare room available and a desire to make a difference to a local child’s life.

A package of support is available 24/7 to help foster carers in their role, including local support groups, their own social worker, a dedicated helpline and flexible training.

If you are interested, call the fostering recruitment team on 0300 123 6723 or visit the website: www.lancashire.gov.uk/fostering