A PROJECT that helps foster children will host its first fundraising ball this summer.

The Comfort U Bags project provides foster children with their own rucksack filled with an array of items including toiletries, colouring books and teddies to make their transition into foster care a little easier. So far, over 700 CUB bags have been produced, with 250 of these given to foster children in Swindon.

The team behind the initiative will be hosting a summer ball on Thursday June 20 at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel.

Sian Briddon from the CUBs team said: “When children enter the foster care system in the UK, they may only have a plastic bag and little more than the clothes on their back. We believe every child going into care deserves to pack their belongings into a special bag and have some items to take with them which they can call their own."

David Haley, corporate iirector of children services at Swindon Borough Council, said: “We’re extremely grateful to the CUBs team for the hard work and passion they’ve put into this project which has really made a difference to children and young people in Swindon. Going to live with a new foster family can be an unsettling time for some children, so having a bag filled with personal and familiar items is incredibly comforting for them.”

Tickets for the ball cost £35 each, which includes an arrival drink, two-course dinner and live entertainment. Visit comfortubags.co.uk.