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First Space to Care project creates room for children to stay with family

Published
Two children have been fostered by their grandparents with the help of funding from Gloucestershire County Council’s pioneering Space to Care scheme.
(Back L-R) Neil and Sue, (Front L-R) Niki Mitchell, Project Delivery Officer – Fostering Capital Scheme and Tammy Wheatley, Head of Service Corporate Parenting and Fostering.

Launched in 2025, the scheme funds home improvements, including additional bedrooms and development of living spaces, that enable foster carers to provide a home for more children.

Neil and Sue Timbrell, from Quedgeley in Gloucester, are kinship carers. A kinship carer is a family member, family friend, or someone else known and trusted by a child, who steps in to care for them when their parents are unable to.

The Timbrells are the first foster carers to complete a project through the Space to Care scheme. A £130,000 loft conversion has created the additional space needed for them to offer a permanent home to their grandchildren.

Neil and Sue said: “We had all the love and determination to care for our grandchildren, but we simply didn't have the space. We’re so grateful to Gloucestershire County Council – the loft conversion has transformed our home and made it possible for us to give them the stability and permanence they deserve. For us, it's much more than an extra room – it's about keeping our family together.”

By creating the additional space needed within the family home, the project helped pave the way for a Special Guardianship Order, giving the children permanence with people they know and love, while also reducing future demand on children's social care services by an estimated £570,000.

The funding does not need to be repaid while the foster carers continue to care for the children. If that arrangement ends, a sliding repayment scale applies for 10 years after the project is completed.

Cllr Ben Evans, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet member for Children’s Safeguarding and Care, said: “It’s wonderful to see the first Space to Care project completed and the difference it will make for this family. Neil and Sue can now give their grandchildren the stability, permanence and sense of belonging they deserve. This hasn’t just created extra space, it’s helped give their grandchildren a secure future in a loving family home.

“Space to Care is just one of the practical ways Gloucestershire County Council supports foster carers to care for local children. We need more people to step up and provide safe, stable and loving homes. If you’ve ever thought about becoming a foster carer, please contact our fostering team to find out more. You could make an incredible difference to a child’s life.”

This comes as the Government has launched a campaign to create 10,000 new foster care places across the country.

The county council supports the campaign and is encouraging people considering fostering to find out more by visiting www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/fostering/become-a-foster-carer.