‘We’ve been ‘parents’ to 31 children and every one of them means the world to us’

A couple whose ‘extraordinary commitment’ to being foster carers has transformed dozens of children’s lives are to be awarded Bury’s highest honour. Keith and Helen Atkinson, from Walmersley, are to be given the ‘freedom of the borough’ in early 2026 after looking after 31 children, mainly teenagers, since 1994.

Bury council said that Keith, 76, and Helen, 74 had opened their home to many children and teenagers who needed ‘love, stability, and someone to
support them’. The couple, both retired civil servants, thought ‘have they got the right people’?’ when told of the award.

Keith said: “To us we don’t think we’ve done anything special. “We thought that you had to be famous to get something like that, not a folk who grew up on a council estate.”

Recounting how they became involved with taking in looked after children, father-of-two Keith said: “We didn’t find fostering – fostering found us.
“In October 1994 our daughter Kate, instead of bringing home stray animals, brought home two stray kids.

“She said ‘mum, dad, can my friends stay because they’ve fallen out with their grandma’. “It was a freezing cold night so we agreed as the alternative was that they would have slept on a park bench.

“During the course of the evening we found out they were actually in care, so we thought ‘oh no we’re going to get arrested’. “The following morning we rang children’s services and to say ‘we believe you’re two kids adrift somewhere, we’ve got them’.

“They were just thankful they were safe and sound.”

From there the couple’s story rapidly developed. “They asked us to hang onto them for a couple of days while it got sorted out,” Keith said.

“One of them soon went back to family but the other one didn’t. “We went to a local authority meeting with her, she was 14, hunched on a chair, feet up underneath her, hair across her eyes.

“We sat and listened to 20 people talking about this girl, never to her, it was as if she wasn’t there, that she didn’t exist. “She was just something to be dealt with.

“I just jumped in with both feet and said ‘she can stay with us if she likes’.
“She stayed with us for a year.

“That was how we got into fostering.” Several months later the couple were approved as foster carers, whereupon they officially began a fostering career which has seen them bring dozens of teenagers who needed looking after into their family.

“We’ve been involved with Bury social services since then, we’ve seen it grow and improve so much it’s untrue,” Helen said.

In total, the couple have looked after 31 children and have had placements for around 29 of the subsequent 31 years. Several of the now grown up children have kept in touch and the couple will enjoy Christmas dinner with one, now in her mid-20s and pregnant.

Keith and Helen mostly looked after teenagers as for much of the period the couple were both in full time work so needed school age children who could get themselves to and from school.

Helen said: “We had one girl who came for one night’s respite and stayed four years before going on to independence and one lad lasted four hours until he
did a runner. “They become like your own, when we take on a child we try to include them as part of our family.

“They are treated the same and each and every one means the world to us.
“We miss them all but some we keep in touch with, sometimes one of them will turn up unannounced.”

Despite both being in their 70s, the couple say they have no plans to retire from fostering. They are also members of Bury’s corporate parenting board, overseeing foster care and policy for looked after children.

“I’m not sure whether they’re keeping us young or driving us into an early grave, Keith said. “Seriously though, looking after the children keeps our minds and bodies active. “It’s keeping us going as much as anything.”

Keith and Helen will soon join the roll of honour of ‘freemen’ of the borough alongside recent recipients such as film director Danny Boyle, England footballer Keiran Trippier and members of the band Elbow.

Coun Lucy Smith, Bury’s cabinet Member for children and young people, said: “Keith and Helen’s extraordinary commitment over more than 30 years represents the very best of fostering, and what it means to our cared-for young people.

“They have opened their home to many children and teenagers who needed love, stability, and someone to support them. “The contribution made by the Atkinsons – and all of our foster carers – is nothing short of life-changing.

“Every foster carer plays a vital role in giving Bury’s children the chance to feel safe, cared for, and supported to fulfil their potential, and we want them to know how deeply they are valued. “We are immensely proud and grateful for everything Keith and Helen have done, and continue to do, as ambassadors for Foster with Bury.”