ROD and Rosalie James don't know how many children they have fostered over the years.

The Abingdon couple, who are celebrating 30 years as fosterers, stopped counting when they passed 100.

Mr and Mrs James, who are both 67, have three biological children, Michelle, Christopher and Beverley, two adopted children Karl and Karina, and six grandchildren, Jo, Beki, Ellie, Jasmine, Maisie and Owen and have no plans to stop fostering children in need.

The first child the couple fostered, Karl, they ended up adopting. He was four when they took him in and is 33 now - the other child they adopted, Karina, is also now 33.

A lot of children who have come through the couple's door in Borough Walk have had difficult lives but Mrs James said their experience had been overwhelmingly positive.

She said: "We do see troubled children, but it is so nice when you see them enjoying normal lives, having regular meals and all those sorts of things.

"It's really good for them and it's really good for us to see them come along."

Mrs James said there had been times in the past when all their children were still at home that the house was crammed to the rafters.

She said: "I don't know where we used to put them, it used to be a case of if you've got space, can you please have them."

In 30 years, she said there had only been one time when they had considered stopping being foster parents.

She said: "We have had some difficult times and you do grow attached to them but broken hearts do mend.

"We once had a child with us long term and she had to move on because she was very difficult. That was the one time I thought of stopping.

"But I thought it was such a shame, because I had such a good experience from looking after children so it would be a shame if I didn't do it any more."

Mrs James said: "When my daughters had babies, they already had the experience of looking after babies here and so it has been good for them.

"When we had our first foster child I found my youngest daughter was taking money from my purse and she said it was because she thought I loved him more than I loved her.

"So we had a password if she was feeling left out I would make sure I would talk to her about what was troubling her."

Mrs James said the experience of fostering, which she described as her life's work, had boosted her self-confidence.

She said: "It has been wonderful."

At the moment the couple are providing release care for children fostered elsewhere.

But Mrs James said: "It's getting near Christmas and my husband likes to have children at Christmas so we'll have to see."

Former foster children and their parents celebrated the couple's 30 years of fostering at a party at the Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, Abingdon, on Saturday.