Terrified

Unwanted and unloved, Vicky arrives on the doorstep of foster mum Angela Hart clutching only a carrier bag of clothes that were old and too small. Desperate not to return to her mother, it soon becomes clear that there are many demons haunting the frightened little girl. Driving anywhere close to where she used to live Vicky would freeze, sheer terror in her grey-blue eyes. Angela would soon uncover the horrific abuse Vicky had suffered at the hands of her mother and she became determined to help.Slowly Angela begins to make progress with Vicky and is thrilled to see her blossom. But then, out of the blue, Vicky receives some tragic news swiftly followed by a shock discovery about her father which threatens to throw her off course. Can Angela rescue this terrified young girl before it's too late?

I live in England with my husband Jonathan. We met at a village dance when we were teenagers in the Seventies, and shortly afterwards we both moved to London for work. I loved the bright lights of the city, and my exciting job in telecommunications. We stayed for ten years before returning home to take over the family floristry business from my parents.One day an advert in the local paper caught my eye: 'Foster Carers Wanted.' I knew straight away it was something I'd love to do. As a child I had a friend whose family took in foster children, and I had often asked my mother if we could do the same. She always said she was too busy with the shop, but after living a fast-paced life in London I felt I could easily manage to sell flowers and care for youngsters. Having a family was something Jonathan and I planned for the future; surely fostering was just like bringing up your own children, if not easier?Looking back, I was incredibly naive. I was convinced fostering kids would be like caring for flowers: if we provided the right environment, nourished them well and treated them with love and respect, everything would be rosy. We could foster for a few years, and maybe even carry on when we started our own family. Of course, it wasn't like that at all! Each child had a unique set of problems, some incredibly sad, others very shocking. We found ourselves immersed in a care system we knew nothing about, yet soon found impossible to leave.I thrived on the challenge and rewards of being a foster mum, and when I discovered several years on that I was not able to have children of my own, I didn't miss a beat. By then I had trained as a specialist carer for teenagers with complex needs, and I have never looked back. Jonathan and I have fostered more than fifty children over the past twenty-seven years. I hope you will enjoy reading about some of the wonderful children we have been privileged to care for over the years.