North Somerset Council is shining a light on foster carers to mark Foster Care Fortnight this month.

The campaign, which runs from Monday 13 May to Sunday 26 May, aims to celebrate and raise awareness of the vital role that foster carers play in supporting vulnerable children and young people.

Foster Care Fortnight is organised by The Fostering Network, a leading national charity, with this year's theme being '#FosteringMoments'.

North Somerset Council is contributing to this initiative by sharing a short film highlighting the experiences of several local foster carers and a young person in care.

One foster carer shared in the video: "[Fostering] is incredibly rewarding, and incredibly challenging.

"I’d say it’s probably the best thing I’ve done in my life."

The council is also organising a Fostering Walk on Sunday, May 19 at Clevedon.

Participants will include North Somerset’s fostering team as well as officers from the wider children’s services team.

Foster carers, children, and young people from the community will also join in this event.

North Somerset Times:

Councillor Catherine Gibbons, North Somerset Council's deputy leader and the executive member for children's services, said: "Our foster carers do a fantastic job, and Foster Care Fortnight gives us a great opportunity to celebrate all that they do to help give our young people support and the chance to thrive."

She went on to highlight the significance of communal support in their work: "I wish the best of luck to everyone who’s taking part in the Fostering Walk at Clevedon.

"We’ve run this event for the past few years, and it’s always incredible to see the fostering community come together."

Ms Gibbons encouraged those interested in becoming a foster carer to get in touch: "If you’re thinking about becoming a foster carer for North Somerset, we’re urgently looking for more carers.

"We welcome carers of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and relationship statuses."

She added: "We offer a strong package of support for our foster carers, from waiving council tax to our Mockingbird network.

"This connects foster families to experienced carers, meaning you’ll always have a listening ear and someone to offer guidance if you need it."

To find out more about becoming a foster carer, interested parties can visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/fostering, email fostering@n-somerset.gov.uk or call 01275 888 999.