A Shrewsbury-based fostering agency is putting its fundraising weight behind a local charity that helped nearly 18,000 people last year.
New Chapters Fostercare (NCF) has chosen Telford Crisis Support (TCS) as its designated charity for 2026, with plans to raise money through a series of events throughout the year.
Up The Wrekin First
The first fundraiser is a sponsored walk up The Wrekin, planned for April. It will bring together foster carers and NCF staff for a shared day out while raising vital funds for the charity.
Anyone wishing to sponsor the team can do so via the NCF JustGiving page.
Who Is Telford Crisis Support?
Founded in 2010, TCS started out as a foodbank service. It has since grown into an independent, volunteer-led charity offering a range of support to communities across the borough of Telford & Wrekin and the surrounding Shropshire border area.
Its services now include a babybank, providing essentials such as moses baskets, baths and clothing for children up to two years old, a school uniform project, and energy advice.
The figures from 2025 show just how great the demand is. TCS helped 17,650 people across all its projects, including providing food parcels for 15,793 adults and children, which equated to 189,516 meals. Its babybank received 285 requests, an increase of 11 per cent on 2024.
Despite this demand, the charity is under real financial pressure. TCS had to make redundancies in 2025, and keeping the lights on, quite literally, is a challenge.
"Funding is tight or in some instances such as grant applications, restricted to specific elements of what TCS delivers. We had to make a couple of people redundant in 2025, so direct finances for core operational costs such as rent and fuel for the vans is crucial to our survival. We are incredibly grateful to Martin and the team at NCF for their support."
Why TCS?
For NCF director Martin George, the partnership felt like a natural fit. Both organisations, he says, rely on community-minded people stepping up.
"There is a level of poverty in Shropshire and throughout the country that is bigger than people realise and that's why charities like TCS are so important. Not only do we aim to provide foster carers for vulnerable children, but it is also important for us to foster links with the local community. It made sense, therefore, to select TCS as our designated charity for this year, as both organisations can only exist through community minded people coming forward and offering their expertise, time, services and money. The challenge of hiking up The Wrekin is a good first fundraiser for 2026."
How You Can Help
If you would like to sponsor the Wrekin walk, you can do so online via the NCF JustGiving page.
To find out more about New Chapters Fostercare, visit www.newchaptersfostercare.co.uk.