PEOPLE can find out how to give children in Hampshire a loving home at an event in Southampton.

Foster carers and adopters will be on hand to talk to at the drop-in session in the Central Library on Thursday.

Council staff will also be at the event, which will run from 5-7pm, as would-be adopters across the south are urged to widen their search to provide loving homes for almost 200 youngsters in Hampshire.

A new adoption information service has been launched, with bosses calling on families to consider adopting outside their local area.

First4Adoption’s figures revealed that 4,820 children – 195 of whom are in Southampton or Hampshire – are currently waiting for adoption.

It comes after the Daily Echo threw its weight behind a major campaign to find new homes for children on the south coast.

Both Hampshire County Council and Southampton City Council say the need to find adoptive parents is greater than ever.

First4Adoption and the Department for Education have published maps showing the number of children needing adoption across the country.

They show 100 children were waiting to be placed in Southampton on September 30, and 95 in Hampshire.

In Southampton, 15 adopters were matched with youngsters between April and September last year, while the figure is 25 for Hampshire.

Following the publication of the maps a fresh call has been made for adopters to look outside their own area to find youngsters in need of a new home.

Gemma Gordon-Johnson, head of service at First4Adoption, said: It’s always wonderful to be able to report that some of our most vulnerable children have found safe and loving homes.

“Many people are unaware that, once approved to do so, you can adopt a child or children from anywhere in England – not just your local area.

“So we are urging more people, wherever they live, whatever their background, to consider whether they could adopt and to get in touch with First4Adoption to find out more.”