AN adoptive mother is set to realise her ‘dream’ by opening a retreat to help others in the same position this summer.

Mandy Worsley adopted children James and Jessica with husband Steven, and has been working on opening a holiday home escape for adoptive families next to her home in Chapeltown, Turton.

Speaking as Blackburn With Darwen Council’s Let’s Adopt agency celebrated creating 100 families in the last three years, Mrs Worsley revealed the retreat is set to open in ‘May or June’.

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She said: “Adopting the two children has changed our lives unbelievably for the better.

“Like all brothers and sisters they squabble and argue but at the end of the day they love each other and get on great.

“A lot of people are frightened adoption is going to be intense.

“That’s why we want to open the retreat to give people a break, people are saying to us there is a real need for it.

“It was an idea that just came to us, it’s been a dream, and it’s just evolved from there. ”

Plans for the site were given the go ahead in May 2013 after councillors overruled planning officer’s objections.

Mrs Worsley adopted her first child James, now 12, in 2006, before adopting Jessica, now 10, in 2008.

The retreat will feature two family suites to provide short country breaks for people with newly adopted children.

Mrs Worsley has left her job as a children’s nurse to run the farmhouse and look after the smallholding and animals.

She announced her plans as she encouraged people to adopt as part of Let’s Adopt’s new campaign to mark its three year anniversary.

The ‘Give Us A Voice’ initiative hopes to encourage potential parents to think about giving older children and sibling groups a home.

The 45-year-old said: “It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions adopting a child.

“Everybody wants a baby, but there are sibling groups and older children who have learning disabilities who need that loving family to.That’s what its important, we need to help them find their forever family.”