Reading Force is pleased to have teamed up with Scotty’s Little Soldiers to make sure bereaved military children know they are warmly invited to receive Reading Force books and resources. In this blog you can find out how the charity was created and how it now supports hundreds of children every year.
When Nikki Scott created the charity for bereaved military children, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, following the death of her husband, she had only one thing in mind: to make sure no bereaved British Forces child or young person felt alone again. Over a decade later, Scotty’s supports more than 680 bereaved military children from Army, RAF, Navy and Royal Marine families.
Nikki’s husband, Corporal Lee Scott of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, was killed in action on the 10th of July 2009 while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
She said: “When I was told Lee had died, my world fell apart. I just felt completely alone and had no idea how I was meant to carry on without him. The most painful thing was knowing our two children would have to go through life without their daddy. Our daughter, Brooke, was just 7 months old and would have no memories of him. Our son, Kai, was 5 years old, and when I broke the news to him, I watched the light go out in his eyes.”
The desire to help children who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces, regardless of their parent’s service or cause of death, is the driving force behind Scotty’s work. Through Reading Force, members of Scotty’s can receive age-appropriate books, as well as a scrapbook (age 0-10) or journal (age 11+). Journaling can be hugely beneficial for bereaved children and young people, allowing them to express and understand their feelings in a safe manner, while scrapbooks are wonderful ways to remember a military parent.
Every child grieves differently and requires help in different areas. It’s for this reason that Scotty’s offers support through three separate Family Programmes – SMILES, SUPPORT, and STRIDES.
- The SMILES Programme is about fun and engagement and includes activities, gifts, respite breaks and group events. The aim is for bereaved military children and young people to form friendships, benefit from peer support, heal with their family and feel part of a supportive community.
- The SUPPORT Programme looks after emotional health and wellbeing and includes 1:1 bereavement support.
- The STRIDES Programme focuses on education and development needs, removes barriers to learning and helps young people gain confidence that can be lost after a bereavement.
New figures suggest that, every year, 2,100 children experience the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. That means thousands of bereaved military children are still not benefitting from the charity’s services.
“Without Scotty’s I would still believe I was all alone,” says Scotty Member Brooke. “Because of the charity, I’ve met so many people who all understand what I’ve been through, and there’s constant support whenever we need it right up until we’re 25 years old. Because of Scotty’s, no bereaved British Forces child has to feel alone.”
For more information about Scotty’s please visit: www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk
Claim your Reading Force book and resources here.
