This Father’s Day on 15 June will be extra special for almost 70 new dads across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, London and the Thames Valley who have adopted their children through adoption agency PACT.

Olivier and Marco, from London, formally adopted their son through PACT in May 2013 after he was placed with them in December 2012 when he was 18 months old. Olivier is Belgian, and Marco is Brazilian, and the couple have been together for over 10 years.

Olivier said: ‘Adopting our son has been amazing, we are so happy that we took the steps to enquire and adopt. The process was thorough but our social worker was very friendly and took us through the stages step by step. When we were matched with our son we had an instinctive feeling that he was the right child to make our family complete. Meeting him was one of the best moments of our lives and we love being dads. Marco and I couldn’t imagine life without him.’

Around 10 per cent of PACT’s adoption and fostering applicants come from the LGBT community and the agency offers adopters membership of the LGBT adopter and fostering network, New Family Social.

New dad Rob from Marlow said: ‘I’m really looking forward to my first Father’s Day. As a single parent, I’m relying on my son’s grandmother to organise a card and present and we are going to his nursery on Saturday for a Father’s Day Celebration. I can’t wait.’

Another PACT dad, Michael, and his wife have a birth daughter and adopted their son in 2013 to complete their family. He said: ‘Father’s Day for me is one of my best days of the year. Not only do I get to spend the day with my wife and beautiful children but I will have the added benefit of been spoiled rotten by them all.

‘Best of all it will be a day about family and that has been made all the more special by the fact that our family is now complete. I am blessed that whatever we decide to do on Father’s Day, I will continue to enjoy every day with my family.’

Satwinder Sandhu, PACT Adoption and Fostering Director, pointed out that both single men and those in a relationship are able to apply for adoption. In the past year, the charity has helped 69 men to adopt, including six in same sex couples, and of support before, during and after the adoption assessment and matching process.

For more information, call PACT on 0300 456 4800.