Fostering: Referrals up as mother urges people to sign up - BBC News
Bridget Davies says the children she has fostered "have been awesome".
Ms Davies, here with her grandchildren, said foster parents need to go on a journey with the children

A woman has said that being a foster parent has allowed her to give children "the chance to have a childhood".

Bridget Davies, from Ceredigion, has had three long-term foster children over the past 12 years, with them staying up to 10 years and still calling her mum.

She said: "They give more than they take and it makes such a difference."

It comes as charity Barnardo's has seen fostering referrals go up by 36% over the past 12 months.

For Ms Davies, 64, the secret to being a successful foster carer is never losing the sense of fun and wonder of being a child.

The retired nurse and grandmother said being a foster carer incorporated both those roles.

The mother-of-three has always loved filling her home with children and said it was nursing colleagues who suggested fostering.

She said: "I think it was the fact that I was able to relive all those wonderful memories again, but now I was doing it or hoping to do it with young people who didn't have a childhood and I think what spurred me on was to give it to them.

"I absolutely love it. The children I've had have been awesome and seeing the changes in them has been so rewarding.

"In fact, rewarding doesn't begin to describe the feeling when you witness those special moments."

Barnardo's found a rise in referrals to fostering service since the pandemic began - the number of sibling groups referred to it in the past 12 months rose by 31%.

New research shows 14% of adults in the UK would consider fostering a child aged 18 or under in the next five years, but that figure drops to just 6% when asked the same question about fostering siblings.

Ms Davies, here riding with her daughter, says being outdoors is a big part of her relationship with the children

Ms Davies said her foster children have become family and are close to her own children.

"My son is a brilliant role model," said Ms Davies. "The boys all fist pump when they come into the house."

"We all respect their family so we're not replacing them, we're just adding hopefully to their family environment."

Ms Davies said a lot of children in foster care have had a difficult time leading up to it and patience and understanding was needed.

She said: "I think it's an awesome experience. I don't like to call it a job as give you far more than you could give them, really."

"I think it's extremely important to foster because when the children come to me, within a matter of weeks they've already changed.

"They had to protect themselves, they had to survive for different reasons so when you take them on and you allow them to be themselves you allow them to grow up.

"And if you allow them to do that, then you are allowing this little person who's got so much to give to be a part of the brilliant community.

"You don't need to be perfect to be a foster carer, you don't need to be a brilliant teacher or speak five languages, you just need to help a child feel safe and noticed, that's all it takes. They just want you."

Martin Kaid, head of fostering and adoption services at Barnardo's Cymru, said the average age of foster parents was 55, but applications were welcomed from people of all walks of life.

"Your love and support can allow brothers and sisters to stay together and make a huge difference to their lives - and to yours," he said.

"If you are over 21, have a spare room and the time and commitment to support a child - you could be the special person they need."