Baby Joshua has every reason to smile today.

Three weeks ago the nine-month-old boy had little hope of a family life . . . but today he was on the verge of finding a new mum and dad thanks to caring Manchester Evening News readers.

Since social services advertised in the M.E.N. for suitable parents they have been flooded with offers to adopt him. It was a desperate move by the Salford officials but it melted readers' hearts and Josh is very close to finding a stable future at last. His carers were not giving too much away but they said they had whittled down the prospective parents to a short-list of favourites.

The problem has been matching Josh with parents of his uncommon ethnic background. His natural mother is Chinese-Afro-Caribbean and his father is Kenyan. Parents who want to adopt from black and ethnic minorities have been hard to find with none on approved lists in Salford where there are only six families registered in total.

Months of searching national lists proved fruitless but the publicity in the M.E.N. has generated new interest from all over.

It is obvious that Joshua's parting from his foster parents June and Allan Brown will be heart-rending. But the couple know that the most loving gesture they can make is to ensure Josh gets the opportunity of having someone he can truly call his mum or dad.

Salford social services principal officer Carolyn Williams said: "Thanks to the interest of Manchester Evening News readers we are on the way to finding families for Joshua and for other children in need of permanent homes."

Salford social services plans to team up with Manchester and Trafford authorities to hold a recruitment drive to attract more families from black and ethnic groups to adopt during National Adoption Week next month.

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