More than 75 foster children and their carers held a special reunion with a visit to the panto. Elaine Savage, a local foster carer, organised the fun outing to see a performance of Aladdin at the Theatre Royal in Bath.

"It was a great show, " she said.

The opportunity came as part of a scheme called Respite 2000 which aims to provide holidays and outings for these youngsters and their guardians.

The scheme is run by the Bath and North East Somerset Family Placement Team.

Past trips have included Alton Towers and Bowood Park.

"A reception at the 1805 Rooms before the performance provided the chance to meet up with friends and, for the young people, to catch up with brothers and sisters and former foster carers, and swap telephone numbers and addresses," explained Ms Savage.

Siblings are often separated when they enter foster care, and children will normally have several foster carers.

Bath has approximately 140 children in care and the placement team is always looking for new carers.