Carmarthenshire County Council is calling on more people in the county to consider fostering.

Hundreds of new foster families are needed every year in Wales to care for children of all ages, and in particular for sibling groups, older children and young people, children with additional needs, and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

The fresh call is being made to coincide with Foster Care Fortnight May 10-24 - a national awareness raising and recruitment campaign run by The Fostering Network.

It also comes following a challenging year with the Coronavirus pandemic, with many children and young people across wales needing support more than ever before.

To support Foster Care fortnight people across Carmarthenshire are being asked to place a lamp in their front window on Thursday (May 20) to ‘shine a light’ on the work being done by local authority foster carers and celebrate their efforts in transforming children and young people’s lives.

Buildings across Wales, including The Miners' Theatre in Ammanford, County Hall and The Lyric Theatre Carmarthen and The Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli will also be lit up in orange to observe the remarkable work they do.

The council’s executive board member for children services, Cllr Glynog Davies said: “Foster carers provide day-to-day support, love and stability to children and young people who can’t live with their birth families.

“While many of us may have been unhappy about spending the best part of the last year cooped up at home, for some young people they can only dream of having the sense of safety, security and comfort that home has provided us with. It’s quite simply something that can seem out of reach to some children and young people. Many people in Carmarthenshire will have spare rooms that could become a sanctuary, transforming a child’s life and ensuring they thrive.”

If you think you could make a difference by becoming a foster carer in Carmarthenshire visit https://foster.midandwest.wales/carmarthenshire/

You don’t have to be in a relationship, married or own you on home to become a foster carer.