Scarborough Athletic fans donate season tickets to foster families in kind gesture

Foster families have been given a boost by Scarborough Athletic Football Club with fans buying and donating five season tickets for use by Fostering North Yorkshire.

Children in care, care leavers and foster carers who are part of Fostering North Yorkshire – North Yorkshire Council’s not-for-profit fostering service - will now be able to enjoy watching their local team and become part of the fan base, strengthening their sense of community.

The gesture was supported by the Scarborough Athletic Community Trust, the charitable organisation attached to the football club helping the local community.

The club has also displayed a foster carer recruitment banner in the ground helping to address the national shortage of foster carers. Adverset, which sponsors the football club, produced the banners.

Scarborough Athletic FC is offering a boost to children in care, care leavers and foster carers. Pictured from left to right: community engagement officer at the Scarborough Athletic Community Trust Steve Machen, Scarborough foster carers Paul Blacker, Chris and Sarah Foster and Portia Staveley, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for children and families, Mel Hutchinson.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for children and families, Cllr Janet Sanderson, said: “We are very grateful for the combined support of Scarborough Athletic FC, the Scarborough Athletic Community Trust and Adverset.

“Thank you for working with us to improve the lives of children and young people in the Scarborough area. Our foster carers will now be able to take the children they care for to enjoy the atmosphere at the Flamingo Land Stadium and cheer on the team. These experiences and memories will last a lifetime.”

The community engagement officer at the Scarborough Athletic Community Trust, Steve Machen, said: "Scarborough Athletic and the community trust are proud to work in partnership with North Yorkshire Council's fostering and leaving care teams to support the children and fostering families in our community.

“We are grateful to those fans who have donated season tickets to help young people experience the atmosphere and football on offer at the Flamingo Land Stadium and look forward to continuing our work together.”

There are a range of opportunities for anyone interested in fostering, including short break fostering or planned regular sleepovers which provide options for adults who work full-time to foster at weekends in a flexible way.

Foster carers receive full training and support to help turn young lives around. There are also tax-free payments and allowances available.

More information is available at www.northyorks.gov.uk/fostering-north-yorkshire or by calling 01609 534654 to speak to a member of the team.