Rotherham foster mum to 250 children appointed MBE

Christine Marie Lunn continues to take in children to this day

A woman who has fostered more than 250 children over five decades has been appointed MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Christine Marie Lunn, 74, from North Anston, South Yorkshire, continues to foster and has vowed to "go on as long as I possibly can".

She started taking in children in Rotherham in 1975 and still sees many of those she has helped over the years.

The 74-year-old said she "trembled in shock all weekend" when she was told.

"I'm absolutely dumbfounded, shocked, speechless, amazed - these things happen to other people," she said.

• Read more South Yorkshire stories

Mrs Lunn said she began fostering when a friend told her she would be "brilliant" at it, so she signed up.

"The rest is history," she said.

She has kept photos of every child she has cared for and would still remember each name "if I sat down and took the time over it".

The mum to many said: "The first is still in touch, which is wonderful.

"They've grown up, had a good life and had their own families, so it's very rewarding."

Christine described fostering as "a family thing", with her late husband Peter also playing a "big part"

Her husband Peter, who died in 2017, supported her in her fostering and helped raise her own children.

"If you've got love in your heart and time to give children then it's wonderful, I'd recommend it to anyone," she said.

Elsewhere in Rotherham, Julie Kenny is being made a dame for her work in leading the restoration of Wentworth Woodhouse.

The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, chaired by Mrs Kenny, bought the mansion and its 83 acres for £7m in a bid to save it from dereliction.

Wentworth Woodhouse has 365 rooms and includes 22 listed buildings or structures

Following funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund, it is hoped the building can eventually be restored to its former glory and be opened fully to the public.