This couple in their 80s have fostered and transformed the lives of more than 150 children

Fostering children is a unique and fulfilling experience for anyone who chooses to provide a safe home to kids. People who voluntarily foster children are contributing to society and making the world a better place. Robert and Margaret Isdale are such a couple whose kindness knows no bounds, as they have fostered more than 150 children over their lives, per BBC. The couple, who live in Lincolnshire, England, began their foster parenting journey back in 1978 when they decided to take care of their first foster child.

What makes the couple's efforts even more noble is that they continue to want to care for young kids even after they have entered their 80s. The couple was given a lifetime achievement award to commemorate their fostering efforts for many children. Mrs Isdale spoke about how the couple found the time and energy to care for young kids for such a long time. She said, "I don't know! We just enjoy doing it, and I can't imagine not doing it now." The duo have been together for 58 years and have two children of their own.

Currently, the couple is preoccupied with providing care for an 8-month-old baby. Mr Isdale reflected on the award and said, "It's really quite humbling. It's not about us. It's about the kids we look after—they're the important ones." Michelle Sawmynaden, who works at the Lincolnshire Fostering service, shared that she was in complete "awe of them both." The woman spoke about how their unwavering commitment to the fostering service for an astounding 46 years was commendable. The Isdale's have also had remarkable success being foster parents as most of the kids return to their birth families or become adopted. Mr Isdale explained how their role as foster parents was to give kids an "interim period of safety" that would allow them to know what it was like to be part of a family.

They still remember the first child they took in, who was a 14-year-old girl who eventually went back to her birth parents after staying with them for a week. Being foster parents for so many children also means that the couple has had to take care of children with different needs. For instance, at one point, they had to foster a boy who had undergone a kidney transplant. The couple ended up staying at the hospital for many weeks to give the boy all the necessary care. Interestingly enough, the most rewarding part of the experience for the Isdale's was when they got to reunite kids with their families.

Many people believed that it would be difficult to let go of kids after they fostered them for a long time, but Mr. Isdale explained that giving a child back to their birth parents was a big reward on its own. The couple also adopted a girl named Kim after they cared for her for three years. Unfortunately, she was born with Down's syndrome and heart complications, with doctors saying that she would not survive beyond nine months. However, the family braved it all and adopted her, going on to travel the world with her before she passed away in 2005. The couple revealed how they would continue to foster children as long as they were healthy.