Maidenhead & Windsor

Five Maidenhead Royal Borough foster carers who have notched up more than 55 years service between them are to have their achievements honoured this week at a special awards evening.

Maidenhead Social services chiefs will present the awards at the annual foster carers awards supper at Cookham Parish Centre, Cookham, on Thursday January 19.

More than 40 local Maidenhead foster carers are expected to attend the presentation and supper to see husband and wife team Brian and Shirley Webb receive a special award to mark their 20 years as foster carers .

Mr Webb – formerly lock-keeper at Hurley lock – is also the Maidenhead borough's foster carers' professional, working closely with other carers and the fostering and adoption team to provide an even more effective service to young people in their care. He and his wife Shirley will be presented with an engraved glass vase.

Other carers receiving awards are Sheila Finlayson of Windsor who has completed 15 years service; Stan and Pauline Rawlings of Windsor who have been providing respite care for disabled children for 10 years, and Lisa Sharpe of Maidenhead and Trudy Wiseman from White Waltham, also foster carers for children with disabilities, who will each receive five-year awards.

The carers will be welcomed by Jim Gould, Maidenhead Royal Borough director of social services, Cllr Pam Proctor, lead member for social services and Heather Andrews, head of children's services.

Cllr Proctor said: "It is wonderful to be able to present these awards in recognition of the hard work of some of our very dedicated foster carers.

"Every one of our carers is a real inspiration to us all, and this is a good way of being able to thank just a few of them publicly for the wonderful job they do in helping to look after some of the most vulnerable youngsters in our community."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead