Alhambra panto star and Loose Woman host Lynda Bellingham is backing a campaign to promote fostering and adoption in Bradford.

The actress, who is in the city playing the part of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, is supporting children’s charity Barnardo’s Fostering and Adoption Week which starts on Monday.

She says she wants to help find more loving and secure homes for children in desperate need.

The star said: “Being adopted myself, I know just how life changing adoption can be for a child. There are so many children who may be going through a difficult time in their lives and desperately need a safe and secure home.

“By becoming a foster carer or an adopter, you have the potential to help turn a child’s life around and help them become a happy, confident person. It’s a pretty amazing thing to do.”

Barnardo’s has been helping find new homes across Yorkshire for more than 30 years but more families are desperately needed.

There are more than 400 children in Yorkshire at this time who need to find their new ‘forever family’ and the charity estimates that 750 more foster carers are also still needed in the region.

Dot Jarvis, assistant director for Barnardo’s Yorkshire, said: “There is sometimes a misconception about who can foster and adopt. You can be single, married, divorced or living with someone and be any sexuality, race or religion. What you do need is commitment and patience as well as being able to offer a child a loving and secure home with their own room.”

Full support and training will be given to would-be foster carers and adopters.

The charity also runs a series of parenting courses to get foster carers ready for the process and the skills to deal with children with a range of needs.

Last summer In Bradford, 14 out of 85 youngsters in care were placed with a family.

To find out more, visit barnardos.org.uk/adoptionandfostering or call 0870 240 8342 for an informal chat.