The number of foster carers in Wiltshire is critically low.

There is currently a shortage of more than 8,200 in England and a shortfall of 600 in the south west alone. As a south west-based fostering agency, we are appealing to your readers to join our Love to Make a Difference drive to help spread the plea for more fosterers.

It is a common misconception that foster carers must have previous experience or come from a caring background. In fact, our carers come from a diverse background. We welcome applications from single people, divorced people, lone parents and unmarried couples.

With recent figures from the charity Age UK revealing that a total of 170,000 job-seekers over 50 nationally have been out of work for more than a year, we are making a particular plea to those facing redundancy or unemployment in later life to consider fostering as a viable career option. For more information visit www.pathway care.com or call 0871 226 3760.

Martin Leitch, Regional Director South West, Pathway Care.