Keith and Kathleen Parry have fostered around 600 children since they began working for Manchester Council in 1961. They received the award from the local authority at a ceremony in March.
Their daughter Karen said that as a child she remembered her mother always prescribed 'Nursery World, Nulon hand cream and Nuttall's Mintoes'.
Mr and Mrs Parry, who are now both 73 years old, have also adopted five children while raising four children of their own.
They have looked after many children with disabilities, including one severely handicapped baby who was only expected to survive for one year as she suffered from a condition called Pateu syndrome. But she lived to the age of ten and even began to walk.
The Parrys currently have four adopted children living with them and one foster child with autism who will be moving on to another family this week.
Mrs Parry said, 'It was a very nice surprise to receive the award. Fostering is a lot of hard work but there is a lot of pleasure in it as well. The children come with sad faces but they leave happy and well adjusted. We have had to extend the house a few times.'
The Parrys are one of the longest-serving foster families in Manchester. Ms Parry said, 'We have been fostering since 1961 and I think we'll probably have to call it a day in a couple of years!
'The childcare sector is more complicated these days but we've kept up with current trends - I've got my NVQ level 3.'
Another long-term foster child who had hydrocephalus was expected to make it only to his early teens but lived until he was 25.
