Kent & Medway
Lighthouse Fostering cover the whole of Kent, including Swale, Medway, Canterbury & Thanet.
We are looking for carers in Gravesend, Dartford, Maidstone, Medway, Faversham, Sittingbourne, Isle of Sheppey, Canterbury, Ashford, Dover or any of the surrounding areas, it is so simple to find out more. Just call 01227 250096 email info@lighthousefostering.co.uk, or follow the ‘contact us’ link on this website.
Many other agencies have now been taken over by large corporate organisations, whose main aim is to make money for shareholders or pension funds. We believe that this is not the way forward and care passionately about the welfare of the children that we look after.
Lighthouse Fostering is a small organisation that was started by foster carers and care leavers. We have an independent forum of foster carers, these people help to steer the direction Lighthouse Fostering takes and ensure that children and carers are at the heart of all that we do.
Unlike some other large corporate fostering organisations who expect you to do all the travelling. we will ensure that all training is local to you.
North Kent
North Kent is made up of four districts: Dartford, Gravesham, Maidstone and Swale
Gravesend is located on the south bank of the river Thames. It has probably best known for being the site of the grave of the American Indian woman Pocohontas.
Dartford lies within the area known as the London Basin and became a market town in medieval times. Dartford is perhaps most well-known for its crossing The Queen Elizabeth II toll bridge that opened in 1991.
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with Rochester and the Thames Estuary. The town is ranked in the top five shopping centres in the south east of England.
Swale has so much to offer to visitors such as the busy historic market towns of Faversham, Sheerness and Sittingbourne and the award-winning beaches on the Isle of Sheppey.
fostering in North Kent
East Kent
East Kent is made up of three districts: Canterbury & Costal, Thanet and Dover
Canterbury is a popular tourist destination, one of the most visited cities in the United Kingdom due to its impressive cathedral
Whitstable/Herne Bay
Whitstable has a working harbour and is famous for its native oysters and this is celebrated with the Oyster Festival in July each year.
Herne Bay is a seaside town and is home to the world's first freestanding purpose-built Clock Tower,
Margate was one of the first seaside resorts, the first to have donkey rides and the first to introduce deckchairs.
Ramsgate was known to have The first international Hoverport in the world and during WWI, was branded as the most bombed seaside town in the UK.
Broadstairs is brim-full of nostalgic, old-world, seaside charm and boasts an impressive seven sand-filled beaches and bays.
Dover is most famous for its White Cliffs of Dover and Castle that has been hugely important military fortress over the centuries. Dover’s ferry port links the UK to France.
Deal is one of the most charming coastal towns in Kent and hosts its own pier and also has a castle like its neighbouring Dover.
South Kent
South Kent is made up of the district Folkestone and Hythe also known as Shepway.
This is a landscape full of surprises and brimming with adventure. From the cobbled streets of Folkestone to the eerie wilderness at Dungeness (the UK's only desert)
The mile-long cliff-top promenade of The Leas in Folkestone is just a short stroll away, offering sea views to France and in the quaint regenerated streets, you'll discover cutting-edge art in its unique Creative Quarter, which houses over 100 artistic enterprises
The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway offers a scenic, marsh-side, steam-powered puff from Hythe, through New Romney, to Dungeness.
History is tangible too in Hythe Kent, from 10th century St Leonard’s Church with its skull-packed ossuary, to the family-run stores and antique shops all over town.
Dymchurch has a blue flag awarded sandy beach and is surrounded by flat countryside that is well suited to walking and cycling. It has an amusement park with the usual offering of Ghost Train, Dodgems, Log Flume and other rides which will keep the whole family entertained.
West Kent
West Kent is made up of three districts, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells.
The West Kent region is famous for its award-winning sparkling wine with heraldry and history a-plenty across the region
Gorgeous stately homes, irresistible gardens, Roman remains and a picturesque landscape, including the rippling hills of the High Weald and the rolling North Downs, make Sevenoaks in Kent a destination you can't afford to miss.
Tunbridge Wells plays an important role in the history of England and Kent. 17th century Royal Tunbridge Wells is also surrounded by stunning countryside, where you can explore fairy-tale castles, magnificent gardens, and traditional oast houses.
West Malling boasts plenty of restaurants, pubs, cafés and tea-rooms, while its range of individual stores and monthly Farmers' Market draws the crowds.
Tonbridge also prides itself with some intriguing Jane Austen links to the town. Idyllic manor houses and a postcard-pretty castle sit in an ancient landscape where woods and fields undulate towards villages and hop farms.
Medway
Medway is a unitary Authority covering the areas of Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham, Rainham and Strood.
The area gets its name from the River Medway which flows from the High Weald in Sussex before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness (a total of 70 miles).
Chatham is fascinating maritime destination with a history stretching back over 400 years. Always fearing invasion, Henry VIII constructed a dockyard at Chatham, now a major visitor attraction in Medway known as The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
Historic Rochester, with its Norman castle, was a place cherished by the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens, who lived in the area as a child and returned as a successful author. The High Street is packed with quaint, independent shops and a great range of cafes and restaurants.
Gillingham is an important retail centre serving the local community. It has a twice weekly market which is ideal for the bargain hunters to wander around. Gillingham is well known for its football club who are currently in league two of the English Football League.