Marva & Lionel’s 30-Year Fostering Journey
Read Marva and Lionel’s inspiring story of fostering over 200 children across 30 years. Learn how they supported teenagers and built lifelong connections.
Retired fostering couple Marva and Lionel Warmington fostered for over 30 years, welcoming more than 200 young people into their home on a short-term and long-term basis.
In March 2025, award-winning artist Chloe Cox honoured their incredible fostering journey by painting the couple's portrait on an episode of BBC One’s Extraordinary Portraits. Host Bill Bailey described them as ‘fostering royalty,' but the humble couple see themselves as ordinary people just doing their part to help teenagers who 'just needed some understanding'.
They are still in touch with many of their former foster children and look forward to visits from their foster grandchildren.
How their 30-year fostering journey began
The couple have been on a remarkable journey, fostering young people of varying needs and switching to ACS in 2012. Reflecting on why they first became foster parents, Marva said, “I was a residential worker for young people, and Lionel worked in the painting and decorating industry.”
“When I worked in the children’s home, I kept thinking, ‘There must be another way to look after children and young people’. Our own children were getting to the point where they were ready to leave home, and I thought I could offer support and understanding because I was fostered for a short time when I was younger.”
“What we liked about ACS is that it has always been about the children – it felt like a family. Lionel and I always felt supported as foster parents. ACS staff were always there for us, day or night, offering support and advice.
“All the foster carers, the staff, and the young people were like one big family.”
Choosing to foster teenagers
Sometimes, it can be more difficult to find foster homes for teenagers, but for Marva and Lionel, this felt like their calling. From the very beginning, they decided they would only foster children over the age of 12.
Marva said, “A lot of our time was spent fostering moody teenagers because we actually did very well with those young people. That was our niche – we were good at helping teenagers.”
“There was one young person we started fostering when she was 14 years old. When she lived with us, she had very complex needs. She used to look at me and say, ‘My life is over! Nothing good is ever going to happen to me.'"
“Now she’s 25 and has her own little one. The other day, we were home, and there was a knock on the door. When we opened the door, she was there with him. He just walked in like a whirlwind. Everything was on the floor for about an hour."
“She’s such a good mother and has done so well. You'd never believe she was the same young person who came to us at 14 years old.”
Proudest moments
On their 30-year journey, the Warmingtons have experienced many proud moments, but Marva shared the one that stood out most for them.
She said, “Our proudest moment as foster parents came when two young people we had fostered for only two weeks contacted us on Facebook 15 years later. They said, ‘You were very inspirational in our lives and made us feel like special people when we were with you, and we’ve never forgotten you.’”
“Lionel and I sometimes felt we made no difference to the lives of some of the teenagers who stayed with us, so it was so lovely to see the difference we have made to their lives."
“The best thing about fostering is being able to support young people with complex needs and seeing their self-esteem and confidence grow. It’s also great that you can empower young people to fulfil their true potential.”
“If you feel like you can’t foster, you need to give it a go – you might just change a young person's life without even realising it.”
If you’d like to watch Marva and Lionel share their fostering story, you can catch up with Extraordinary Portraits on BBC iPlayer.
Start your fostering journey today
If, like Marva and Lionel, you have space in your heart and home for the most vulnerable children and young people, we’d love to hear from you.
At ACS, we specialise in faith-based and cultural fostering, welcoming foster parents from all walks of life. When you foster with us, you'll receive a generous fostering allowance, advanced training, and support at every stage of your fostering journey.