Foster Portsmouth has secured places in this month’s Great South Run for 10 of our dedicated foster carers and young people in their care.
The south coast’s biggest and best-running event on Sunday 17 October 2021, will take in all the sights and sounds of Portsmouth. These include the naval base and historic dockyard with the Spinnaker Tower soaring above, the city’s cathedral, naval memorial and Canoe Lake along our esplanades, and the glorious seafront finish at Southsea Castle and the D-Day Museum.
Nine foster carers and one fostered young person will take on the 10-mile course around our city, wearing one of our branded t-shirts to help us raise awareness of Foster Portsmouth and the need for additional foster carers from diverse backgrounds to provide a safe home for the vulnerable children and young people in Portsmouth. A further two supporters who secured their own places in the event will be joining the Foster Portsmouth team and will run in our brand colours.
Ruth Jones, who along with her husband Glen, is running for the Foster Portsmouth team and has fostered with Portsmouth City Council for 6 years reported:
“Glen runs marathons but is planning a personal best time for this year’s Great South Run so has still been training hard to work up his speed. The course will be a bit more of a challenge for me as the furthest I’ve run in training so far is 6 miles, though I do that weekly.”
Ruth continued,
“I completed Walk the Wight a few weeks ago in training, but that took me over 4 days to recover from due to its demanding terrain! However, it is great to have something to aim for and the Great South Run is a fantastic opportunity to help raise the profile of Foster Portsmouth and the necessary recruitment of additional foster families.”
Cllr Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, commented:
“Not only are our foster carers dedicated to the wellbeing of the children and young people in their care, but their support for the service and help raising awareness of the necessity to secure further stable homes for those in need is second to none.”
Cllr Horton continued,
“It is also wonderful to see one of our fostered young people embracing the challenge of this national event and I wish all of the Foster Portsmouth team the very best of luck!”
Foster Portsmouth is in need of more foster carers from diverse backgrounds to reflect the looked after children and young people in our city. Anyone aged 18+ with a spare bedroom can foster with us regardless of their age, gender, faith, ethnicity, sexuality, marital or work status, or whether they rent or own their own home.
The council welcomes all enquiries about fostering. Portsmouth City Council’s foster carers come from all walks of life, and they all share the same commitment and motivation to make a positive difference to a child’s life. This could be a short or long term placement until they’re ready to live independently or be reunited with family, support for unaccompanied minors or children with a disability, supported lodgings to develop their independent living skills, a parent and baby placement, or respite care.
Foster carers receive excellent, local training and 24/7 support, including through our pioneering Mockingbird Family Model support network and mentoring scheme, and competitive fees and allowances.
To learn more about fostering with Foster Portsmouth or to discover more about our events, please visit: www.foster.portsmouth.gov.uk/events.
For more information on fostering in general, please contact the fostering recruitment team on 023 9283 4071, visit www.foster.portsmouth.gov.uk or email fostering@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
