Foster caring is a way of life to Dewsbury mum of 100

But for Dewsbury foster mum Brenda Whitworth, 14 cards is nothing out of the ordinary.

Super mum Brenda, 62, has brought up more than 100 foster children, as well as four children of her own.

She tries to keep Mother’s Day a relaxed affair – but can’t help the cards and messages of goodwill flooding in.

“It’s nice when they remember you,” she said. “It shows that they still care. One little boy I had who went on for adoption rang to wish me happy Mother’s Day. He never misses it, whether it’s a card or a phone call.”

Brenda began fostering with her late husband Ian in 1985.

“I had no idea that 28 years later I’d be doing the same thing – but I’ve got no intention of giving up,” she added.

Most children have come from Kirklees – but they have ended up as far away as Scotland, Ireland and New York.

“Quite a lot of them keep in touch,” said Brenda. “It could be 12 months, then I’ll just get a knock on the door.”

She was recently invited to the wedding of a 32-year-old she fostered as a 12-year-old boy and has been asked to be a godparent to children she has cared for in the past.

Brenda, who is currently fostering a baby and two older children, said Ian, who died in 2010, played a ‘big part’ in fostering and family life.

She admits that the hardest part of the process can often be saying goodbye. “But when you see the end results, be it a child going home to be reunited with their family or moving on to adoption, it makes it all worthwhile,” she said.

“I don’t see it as a job, it’s just a way of life.”