Foster carer saved me, now I want to help more kids, says Fatima Whitbread

THROW BACK: Javelin star Fatima competing in 1988 (Image: Getty) As an elite athlete she was crowned World and European champion, on top of winning a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics. But javelin star Fatima Whitbread now wants to give Britain’s young people what she struggled to find – a safe and happy childhood. Fatima was abandoned as a baby and ‘left to die’ in Stoke Newington, north London. A neighbour heard her crying and called the police. After four months of treatment for malnutrition she was put into care. She recalled how from the age of 14 she lived in constant terror of being thrown on the streets the moment she hit her 16th birthday. She had already seen older peers drift into drugs and prostitution and feared ‘the clock was ticking’ before she met a similar fate. But foster parents, one of whom was a sports coach, stepped in, giving Fatima her first stable home and the country a future Olympic medallist. Now Fatima is campaigning to get tens of thousands of children out of the care system and into loving homes. ‘I was saved in the nick of time’, said Fatima, 62, who has raised thousands of pounds for her cause this year alone. Last month she walked 100 miles along the South Downs to raise money for Action For Children. Fatima Whitbread with foster mum Margaret (Image: ) ‘One child in care is one too many and I know we’ve got 100,000 in care at the moment. That’s why I want to regenerate the care system.’ Fatima was fortunate to be spotted playing netball by coach and PE teacher Margaret Whitbread. When she found out the talented teen was living in care she invited Fatima to spend time at her family home. Eventually Fatima moved in permanently with her foster mother and father and new younger siblings. Fatima, who has a son of her own, Ryan, wants to bring an end to the suffering of thousands of children lost in the care system. She called for more people to come forward to be foster parents. She said: ‘I want people to understand it can be a rewarding job. These kids won’t just survive, they’ll thrive when given a chance. ‘Now it’s time to give the children a voice and that’s why I look to the minister for children and say ‘come on’! ‘Let’s get this sorted out, let’s change this image and let’s make it possible to get these kids homes.’ She continued: ‘I was saved in the nick of time. I was abandoned as a baby, I was left to die and I cried for two days before I was found and taken into hospital. I was sent into care homes until I was 14. ‘I wanted a mummy – but there were no cuddles and sports were my saviour. ‘When I was in children’s homes I was always told that if you were still there at 16 you would have to go and live independently. It was far too young and I remember looking out the window wondering what was going to happen to me. ‘They were always telling us in the big school that you will end up on the streets. When I think back to the 60s and 70s it was all marijuana and prostitution. I had no idea how I was supposed to live. It was terrifying.’ Fatima, who was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1987, said: ‘Every child has a right to a safe and happy childhood.’ ● To help Fatima’s fundraising visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fatimawhitbread. For information on Action for Children visit www.actionforchildren.org.uk