BLAKEMERE Craft Centre has teamed up with Adoption Matters Northwest to help raise awareness of the charity’s vital work in finding ‘forever families’ for young children.

The centre, in Sandiway, has chosen the organisation as its Charity of the Year for 2013/14 and they will be working together at Blakemere’s many events and activities over the coming months.

Blakemere manager Ginny Brooks White said: “We are proud to have supported many Cheshire and North West charities over the years. We have a lot to offer with space, facilities and a busy schedule of activities.

“We chose to work with Adoption Matters Northwest because we felt it was something that would resonate with the many families that visit Blakemere.

“Not all children are lucky enough to have safe and loving families and they need help, through organisations like Adoption Matters Northwest, to move forward and have happy lives.”

The children’s charity will be part of Blakemere’s packed schedule of events including food and craft fairs, table top sales, its autumn scarecrow trail and a whole host of Christmas events.

Adoption Matters Northwest, which has offices in Chester, Hale and Blackburn, is a specialist adoption agency that finds families that want to adopt, and supports them through the approval process and as they welcome a new child into their family.

It works with local authorities that need to place children, usually aged up to seven, with adoptive families. In most cases these children have had a difficult start to life, suffering abuse or neglect, and it has not been safe for them to remain with their birth families.

The charity aims to find loving ‘forever families’ that can help these children feel safe and secure. Last year they successfully placed 67 children with families.

Nick Gore, fundraising manager for Adoption Matters Northwest, said: “We work hard finding homes for children that have gone through tragic or difficult circumstances and we support families for the rest of their lives.

“We are very pleased to be working with Blakemere and are all excited at the possibilities that lie ahead.

“The UK is desperately short of adopters. Through our partnership with Blakemere we hope to raise money to fund our support services and also reach out to potential adopters that could provide a badly needed home for these children.”

For more information on adoption visit www.adoptionmattersnw.org.