A Calne couple who have been fostering disabled children for 15 years have completed a busy summer of fundraising to support a charity they helped create.

Kathy and Steve West helped set up A Place 4 Us, along with other parents, to create opportunities for young people living with disabilities, and their families, to meet in an inclusive environment where they can talk, play, have fun and relax.

Through fundraising efforts, they commission children’s charity, Barnardo’s, to run a weekly club at Marden House, Calne.

To help keep A Place 4 Us running, the couple, who have spent the last 15 years fostering disabled children and young people with independent fostering agency Five Rivers Child Care, have to raise £15,000 a year.

Speaking about the charity, Mrs West said: “Since becoming foster parents and specialising in providing care for youngsters with disabilities, we became increasingly aware of the lack of spaces and opportunities for them to socialise with others like them.

"We wanted to create an environment for young people living with disabilities where they could be seen not hidden. Having a disability makes it much harder for a child to socialise because they can’t just leave the house to meet friends and many clubs and activities are not tailored to their needs.

“All children should have a place where they can go to be with friends and when local funding wasn’t available to support A Place 4 Us, we decided along with other parents that we would run a youth club ourselves. A Place 4 Us requires a lot of fundraising and support from the community to keep open, but it’s always worth it to be able to provide children and young people with a space where they can belong.

"For me, there’s genuinely nothing more fulfilling than being able to meet the needs of the child you look after and make that difference in their lives. I wouldn't change my choice of career. It is the best thing myself and Steve have done together.”

To help keep the charity running, the couple most recently entered Calne Summer Carnival’s float competition, coming third.

As part of the Carnival’s theme of Around the World in a Day, the couple transformed their float into a celebration of Sweden. They paid tribute to ABBA, Bjorn Borg and Vikings, to help turn heads and capture the crowd’s attention.

In Wiltshire, there are currently 335 foster children.

Speaking about the need for more foster carers in the area, Kathy, said: “It’s really important that people feel confident in being able to pursue a career in fostering. You’re given the training to meet the needs of the young people that come into your home and if you’re flexible and patient you can make such a huge impact on someone’s life.

“If you’re interested in fostering, my advice would be to spend some time with a foster carer and listen to the challenges they face and the positives of what they do.