Scotty’s Little Soldiers
This Sunday it is Mother’s Day a day for celebrating our mothers, and a day for all the Mummies to get spoilt.
There will be present giving, cards made and brought, breakfast in beds made and a day of fun for most.
But there will be some Mummies that will be missing that one present, (I am one of them) because they haven’t got all their children on earth with them. There will be some children that are missing their Mummies because they don’t still have them on earth with them.
Young children, babies, toddlers, school aged and teenagers that are missing their Mummies on this special day.
Missing their Mummies because they have been killed while serving in our Armed Forces.
Baba misses his Uncle because he was killed serving our country, Boo will never know him because he was killed serving our country. It hurts like hell, its horrible to see Baba miss him and I can not even imagine how these children feel missing their Mummies and Daddies every day, it can only be much worse on Mothers Day.
They have no cards to make, no presents to give and no breakfast in bed to make.
But they do have some hope and support.
All through Scotty’s Little Soldiers.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers was launched on the 28th August 2010 to provide Christmas and birthday gifts, treats, trips and activities for the families of the fallen as well as enabling them to use the charity’s holiday lodges in Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and Devon. Currently it supports over 100 children of the fallen.
The charity provides a practical yet personal way for the public at large to show their appreciation for the brave individuals who make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers was founded by Nikki Scott, who has two children Kai, now nine and Brooke, five, after she lost her husband when his vehicle was blown up in Afghanistan. You can read her personal story here;
Nikki and her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, met in 2001. They married in February 2008 and moved to Tidworth in Wiltshire, soon after he returned from Iraq with his regiment, the 2nd Royal Tank.
Lee was sent to Afghanistan the following year for a six-month tour but was killed one month into his deployment when an improvised explosive device (IED) hit his vehicle in Helmand Province.
Trying to explain to her young children that their daddy was gone she says was the hardest thing she has ever had to do and she describes the months after his death as ‘bleak’.
Now living in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, she said it was nine months after Lee died and during a holiday with her two young children that she first saw her son Kai laughing again.
“It struck me how long it had been since I’d seen him laugh. I wondered how many other kids who’d lost their daddies or loved ones in battle were out there, and who needed to smile again,” said Nikki.
“Out of this moment came my charity; Scotty’s Little Soldiers provides holidays for families who have lost someone.”
The charity wants the children to know that is ok to smile again, and that people care and will always remember their Mummies and Daddies as our country heroes.
The charity is always fundraising to provide letters, cards, birthday presents, Christmas gifts, tickets, gift vouchers at tough times of the year, help towards clubs and activities and holiday breaks for the children. They are currently raising funds for another holiday home in the South.
They are a great charity helping children cope with the unthinkable and we fully support them in our house.
Disclaimer: Scotty’s Little Soldiers contacted me asking me to write a post. They are a charity that I had never heard of before but did not need to be asked twice. Since the first email, Mr L and I have looked into the charity and fully support them and what they do, so much so I have included a permanent badge on the blog, to constantly promote them. I have not been paid for this post, it is on this blog because we as a family support the charity.