Award Success For Foster Carer Will!
Pathway Care foster carer Martin Williams (Will) from Nuneaton has won the Outstanding Commitment to Fostering Children with Disabilities Award at the annual FosterTalk Foster Carer Awards for the commitment and dedication he has shown to the children in his care.
Will was presented with his award from silver Olympic medallist and World Champion runner, Jamie Baulch; who was in care himself until he was adopted at six months old, and from TV’s TOWIE star Debbie Douglas. As well as being a foster carer for over two decades, Debbie is also a government ambassador for fostering.
Will had fostered with his wife for 10 years until she died suddenly in 2015, but he made the brave decision to become the primary carer for the two young children they had in their care at the time.
He was nominated for the award by his supervising social worker, Sonya Cadden. She explains why she put him forward for the award; “In the most desperately sad circumstances, Will has absolutely flourished as a carer and shown unwavering commitment to the children in his care. He is tremendously focussed and committed, having given up his job to dedicate himself to the little girl he currently cares for. They have the most tremendous bond – he ‘gets’ her and she ‘gets’ him.
His late wife Lizzy was a fantastic carer and it is clear to see that she and Will worked closely together in their approach to caring for these children. Since she died, he has been through so much change and has risen to every single challenge. This man’s potential is enormous – he’s done so much in such a short space of time and I’m so very proud of his achievements.”
Now in its third year, the FosterTalk awards highlight how foster families are fundamental in turning young people’s lives around and Will is dedicated to doing just that.
Commenting on his award, Will said; “I was over the moon when I heard about the award and then overcome with emotion, as I just felt that my wife should be here. She was the main carer and I decided to carry on for the little girl we were looking after when she passed away. I had a lot of support from my social worker and a great group of friends. I couldn’t do it without them.
It’s been a really hard 17 months, but I’m proud of both of us. It’s so nice to be recognised with this award, but you don’t become a foster carer to win awards. I’d say to anyone considering becoming a carer – go for it, but you have to give it 100%. It’s not easy, but the rewards are amazing, especially when you see them achieving at school and responding to being in a proper family environment.”
Melody Douglas, managing director of FosterTalk, comments; “We had hundreds of entries which made it very hard for our judges, but this award for Will is well deserved. He has shown tremendous strength and dedication at such a difficult time to put the children in his care first. We hope that these amazing stories inspire other people to consider becoming foster carers too.”
Catherine Rioda, Regional Director Central, Midlands and Eastern Regions, said; “I can’t tell you how delighted I am that Will is the winner of this award – it is thoroughly deserved. I was Will’s supervising social worker when he and his wife first joined Pathway Care. It has been amazing to see how much Will has grown in skill and confidence and his commitment to the little girl in his care in the face of such devastating personal loss is truly remarkable. Only recently, I presented Will with his 10-year Long Service Award, so I’m absolutely thrilled he has achieved this award too.”
We are so proud of Will and all that he has achieved and are honoured to have him as part of our Pathway Care family.
If you think you could make a difference like Will then we would love to hear from you. Call our friendly team today on 029 2000 9806 to learn more about fostering with us.