Mr and Mrs Foster in honours for taking in youngsters

FIFTEEN foster carers, including a couple with the surname Foster, are made MBEs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The recipients have looked after more than 1,000 children between them.

Among the group are William Foster, 82, and his wife Margaret, 74, known as Jean, who have fostered 186 children and adopted two over 34 years.

“The first one we got, we have still got her and she’s 34. She came for a bank holiday weekend and never left,” Mrs Foster said.

“It’s the best job in the world. I love doing what I’m doing. It’s the most rewarding job. It’s hard work but it’s very rewarding work.”

The couple, from Burton-on-Trent, are honoured for services to fostering in Staffordshire, but Mrs Foster said their appropriate surname is just a coincidence.

“It just happened really, but we never regretted it,” she said.

“We love the kids. The worst part of the job is letting them go.”

Mrs Foster said she thought her award was a hoax when she received the letter through the post.

“It was a shock at first, a real shock,” she said.

“It’s an honour to have it really, so yes, we are thrilled.”

Judith Harper, 59, who is recognised for services to fostering in Gawcott, Buckinghamshire, also thought her MBE was “a scam” and was going to put the letter in the bin.

She, along with her husband, has been fostering for 25 years, and has adopted two children as well as looking after about 100 for periods of between four hours and 10 years.

Mrs Harper, who has taken in many children with special needs, as well as siblings, met other foster carers at the V&A Museum of Childhood in east London to talk about their work.

“It’s very rewarding. My adopted daughter came to us and we were told she wouldn’t walk or talk. She’s now running around, chattering. It’s fantastic,” she said.