Fostering families in Plymouth will receive free family tickets to enjoy a walk on the wild side at Dartmoor Zoo, thanks to a generous donation.
Dartmoor Zoo has pledged to provide each of the 109 fostering families at Foster for Plymouth, Plymouth City Council’s own fostering service, with a free Family Ticket. This also includes the service’s connected carers, who are foster carers looking after a specific child, or children, who are members of their own family.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said: “We were genuinely blown away by this generous offer from Dartmoor Zoo. Our foster carers work so hard and have such an important role supporting children and young people in Plymouth, ensuring they have a safe, loving family home to live in.
“We really appreciate this kind donation, which mean all of our foster children and their carers can enjoy fantastic days out at the zoo, spending quality time together and making amazing memories.”
Dartmoor Zoo’s CEO, David Gibson, said: “As soon as I learned about the challenge that Foster for Plymouth is currently facing trying to find new foster carers in the city, I knew we had to help. Dartmoor Zoo has always been focused on creating a nurturing, caring environment for families and individuals so this is a cause we can really get behind. We are very much looking forward to working with Foster for Plymouth.”
Dartmoor Zoo has also committed to supporting Foster for Plymouth in a variety of ways, supporting with recruitment planning events, offering free use of space at the zoo for events and attending the recent launch of the new ‘Everything’ film. The zoo is also running fostering adverts on screens at no cost.
There are more than 500 children currently in the care of the local authority. Foster for Plymouth aims to provide local homes for these children, which means they can stay somewhere familiar and remain at their own schools, in contact with friends and family members.
There is a shortage of foster carers in the city. Fostering is a hugely rewarding role, which gives people the opportunity to make a real difference to a child’s life.
If you are over 21, have a spare room and are interested in the possibility of fostering, you can find out more at: fosterforplymouth.co.uk.
If you are a local business and would like to find out more about how you can support local children and young people through Foster for Plymouth, please contact [email protected] to speak to a member of the team.