The foster parents Kindhearted couple ‘devastated’

Ron and Penny Jones were awarded MBES in 2010 for fostering at least 300 people over three decades.

The kindhearted couple had taken in children from the world’s most deprived countries.

After Ahmed Hassan moved into their home, he is said to have become calmer, and college teachers described him as “invigorated”.

The couple, aged 88 and 71, were on holiday in Blackpool when he made the bomb and knew nothing of his plans. They are said to have been devastated.

Spencer Jones, their son, who described their home as a “place of love and tolerance”, said his mother had been having sleepless nights since Hassan’s arrest.

Following the bombing, friends said the couple had considered giving up fostering.

The Joneses did not take part in the trial. Victoria Ward