PUT the prospect of fostering on your list!

That's the message which will go out to shoppers next week when staff from Bury Council's family placement team visit the Asda store in Pilsworth next week.

Staff will be up at the Asda store on Thursday, February 26 between 11am and 2pm with a display about fostering and, as well as distributing information leaflets, they will also be on hand to answer queries about fostering from shoppers.

Diana Powell, the council's family placement team manager, said: "Foster carers gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction from seeing a child develop, to see them grow in confidence and learn new skills and from knowing they can make a real difference to a child's life whether they are a toddler or a teenager."

All foster carers in Bury receive a lot of support such as preparation sessions and on-going training, a "buddy" scheme to link new foster carers with an experienced carer, regular visits from family placement staff and access to specialist advice.

Councillor Mike Connolly, executive member for health and social services, said: "More foster carers are needed especially for older children, groups of brothers and sisters and disabled children.

"This innovative supermarket visit is part of an ongoing recruitment campaign and going up to Asda to talk to ordinary people going about their ordinary, day-to-day business is a great way of underlining the fact that all kinds of people from all walks of life can become foster carers."

Residents can find out more about foster caring by popping along to Asda on February 26 or by contacting the Family Placement Team for an information pack on 0161 253 5457.