L'Arche

• Community
  • House Life
  • Community Life
  • Work
  • Living in the wider community
  • Celebrations and holidays
  • Respect and rights
  • Relationships
• Spirituality
  • The History of L'Arche
  • Jean Vanier
  • Henri Nouwen
  • Starting a L'Arche prayer group
  • Worship and RE resources
  • Ecumenism and Interfaith
  • International spirituality
  • The L'Arche Prayer
• Professionalism
  • Joining a L'Arche Community
  • L'Arche's professional structures
  • L'Arche's Good Practice Forum
  • L'Arche and work
  • The Charter of L'Arche
  • Annual Report and Financial Statement
  • Identity and Mission statements
• Assistants
  • A day in the life of an Assistant
  • How do I become a L'Arche Assistant?
  • Recruitment process
  • Training, qualifications and support
  • Choosing a Community
  • The spiritual side of L'Arche
  • Vacancies list
  • Quotes and testimonials
  • Volunteers and Friends
• Resources
• Support Us
  • Giving to L'Arche
  • Overseas Development Fund (ODF)

Kent Contact Details

Email: kent@larche.org.uk
Telephone: (01304) 830930
Fax: (01304) 832393

About L'Arche Kent

IN BRIEF: four shared residential houses plus a further house for more independent members, located around Barfrestone and in the city of Canterbury, three workshops, a shop on St Radigund's Street in Canterbury, house of rest and prayer, office.

Not only is L'Arche Kent the oldest of the eight L'Arche UK communities, it is also unusual in that it straddles both city and countryside: part of the community being situated in the beautiful old city of Canterbury, with the other part centred around village life in 'the garden of England', as Kent is fondly known.

We opened in 1974, when Bill, John and David came to live in Little Ewell, a former rectory that was made available to us by the then Archbishop of Canterbury. Today we number more than 20 members with leaming disabilities and a similar number of live-in assistants, with another 20 or so who come to work in our office and workshops. Our lives revolve around the houses, with members finding meaningful work in our well -established crafts, gardening and retirement projects. Over they years, we have found many friends locally, and have strong relationships with our local parish churches. In addition, we are successfully fundraising for our new house of rest and prayer called The Harbour, providing a spiritual focus within community.

How you can help

Assistants, who stay for anything upwards of a year, are a very important part of community, and as vacancies arise we need single people aged 18 or over who would like to come and take part in this fulfilling life. Experience of people with leaming disabilities is less important than a willingness to share one's life and an openness to community values.

Alternatively, you can support us in other ways - simply remembering us in your prayers being one powerful way of supporting us. Or perhaps you live locally and would like to become a friend of L'Arche Kent, such as giving the occasional hour or two to help out? Donations towards our work are also very welcome, particularly to support our new houses co-ordinators' posts and to help us buy new computers.