News

In this blog Lorraine, one half of the dynamic duo We Are Bert, shares the story of how the wonderful Berts came about… As Andy and I celebrated our 60th birthdays recently, we found ourselves reflecting on the winding path that brought us to where we are today. Andy began his career with helicopters when he joined the REME at 16 and went straight to Army Apprentice College. It only feels like yesterday we were just 19 years old, embarking on the adventure of military life. From the early days of our first posting to the births of our [...]

In this blog Royal Marine & Children’s author Tom Cornner shares the inspiration behind his children’s book Arco the Bossy… My journey as a children's author wasn't planned, it was whispered on the breeze of bedtime stories and fuelled by the imagination of my own children. From their earliest days, I found myself captivated by the worlds they built through drawing and imaginative play. This draw to the fantastical, coupled with my own artistic childhood, steered me towards fiction, where strange creatures and fantastical landscapes could come alive. The inspiration for the Greebs series, however, bloomed closer [...]

Exploring emotional literacy within settings Starcatcher’s is Scotland’s arts and early years organisation and run inspiring creative projects across Scotland for babies, toddlers, and young children. We’re thrilled to welcome Amy Hall Gibson, Starcatchers’ Early Years Development Manager, as our guest blogger. Starcatchers is delighted to share Wee People, Big Feelings: A Practical Guide for Early Years Practitioners, which explores the importance of story-telling and creativity in helping our youngest children express how they feel. The guide is the result of artist Skye Reynolds developing play sessions around movement and emotional regulation, with Armed Forces children in the Scots Corner [...]

We are pleased to offer a very special afternoon for children from military families. This event is for children who have, or have had,  a mum, dad, carer, or grandparent, in the Army, Navy/Marines or the RAF. The National Army Museum and the military charity Reading Force welcome you to join us on Saturday 18th May 2024 from 1-4pm. Tickets will be available in January. You will have the chance to hear a talk from multi award-winning author Sir Michael Morpurgo, and listen to a special reading by him from his personal favourite of all the books he has written: [...]

Claire Dunbar is a mother of two, a primary school teacher, and now, an author. Her husband serves in the Royal Air Force and she has written two books for children who have a parent in the RAF. It has long been an ambition of mine to write a book. Last year, I wrote a small rhyming story about preparing to a start primary school. My daughter, Amber, will start school next year and I wanted to prepare her for the skills and things that would be helpful for her, but also share the things she didn’t need to worry [...]

In this blog English Leader at Carnagill Community Primary School, Sarah Bradshaw, writes about the transformative power of teachers reading aloud every day and how this has grown pupils’ love of reading and stories… It all started in Year 6. One particular year group were finding lunchtimes difficult. To calm them down, when they got into class, to stop the bickering and tears, the teacher at the time started to read to them. They were engaged from the moment she started to read. It was a moment of peace in a crazy day, time to breathe, slow down and listen [...]

Author Charlotte Goodwin joined the Reserves aged 18 and in this blog she explains how Army life runs through her fantasy books for adults.This month marks my twentieth year in the Army Reserves.  I joined aged eighteen and the Army has been an integral part of my life ever since.  Even though my civilian career has fluctuated, the Army remained the one constant and so I suppose it’s not surprising that when I decided I wanted to be an author, my experiences in the military would feature heavily.I’ve always enjoyed fantasy.  I love the escapism, the magic, and immersing myself in [...]

Read this blog to discover veteran Tony Brown’s life journey and his incredible creation of Forces Manor… Situated in the village of Kincraig, on the banks of the River Spey, five miles south of Aviemore in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park is Forces Manor. Built in 1880 as a highland retreat for an Edinburgh doctor, it has also been a shooting lodge and hotel. Army veteran Tony Brown is now in the process of transforming it into an impressive multi-purpose not-for-profit centre where tri-service serving personnel, veterans and their families can drop in, meet or stay for a short break [...]

In this blog our fabulous Book Club Ambassador, Nicola, gives the lowdown on her role supporting book clubs to get up and running… Thanks to a grant from the Veterans’ Foundation, we are continuing to support book clubs to get up and running in our military communities. Reading Force is a tri service charity, and we welcome Veterans, Reservists and MOD staff to our community. We offer book clubs for both children* (8yrs +) and adults – each book club member will receive three books for free to help get the book club going! “Thank you so much, [...]

‘My Forces Life’ Art Competition Winners! From the Under 4s to Adults’ entries, once again the Forces community have amazed us with their immense creativity and power of expression. We would like to say a heartfelt thanks to everyone – little and large! – who submitted their art, it has been a privilege to see your work. We would also like to thank our sponsors who made this competition possible: Bolt Burdon Kemp, Nosy Crow Children’s Books, and Daler Rowney. Finally, thanks to our esteemed judges who have chosen the winners with great care. Our panel of judges [...]