A fostering agency has been officially opened at its new home in Dartford.

Mayor of Dartford Cllr Avtar Sandhu opened UK Fostering and its linked charity UKindo in Twisleton Court in Priory Hill.

Alongside the mayor was television star Amy Leigh Hickman.

She plays Carmen in the children’s TV show The Dumping Ground, a spin-off from Tracy Beaker, that is set in a children’s care home.

There are more than 44,000 children in foster care throughout the UK, but there is a shortage of thousands of foster carers to look after the young people.

UK Fostering has been running for about 18 months and has around 20 foster families in their care.

The charitable arm UKindo aims to help disadvantaged and deprived children in the UK and India and receives regular donations from UK Fostering.

For more information visit www.ukfostering.org.uk and ukindo.org