13 young people, all bereaved of a military parent, spent two days at Sky’s headquarters in Isleworth, where they were given an insight into the media and entertainment sectors and received media training to support them on their mission to become the voice of bereaved military children.
The group of young people are all members of Scotty’s Little Soldiers – a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
In 2019, Sky signed the Armed Forces Covenant and is committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community. Sky partnered with Scotty’s Little Soldiers as part of its commitment to providing support to families of servicemen and women. The charity was inspired by the experience of Army widow Nikki Scott, following the death of her husband who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009, leaving behind two young children. Scotty’s Little Soldiers currently provides support and guidance to over 600 bereaved military children and young people throughout their childhood.
A group of Scotty’s members have formed a Scotty’s Council. They meet up throughout the year to provide input into the charity, providing ideas and suggestions on the support they feel young people will benefit from the most. The council acts as the voice of bereaved military children and young adults within the charity, but also externally. The media training at Sky therefore provided the group of young people with the skills and confidence to appear on screen and raise awareness of their charity.
During the two-day event at Sky, members of Scotty’s Council had the opportunity to take on roles as reporters, producers, directors, editors and camera operators, organised by Sky Up Academy Studios. They also had a tour of the studios, met Sky Sports presenters Rob Wotton and David Garrido, Sky News presenter Anna Jones and Sky’s military analyst Sean Bell.
13-year-old Austen Hargreaves was seven when his father, Staff Sergeant Christopher Hargreaves, died in 2017. He said of the event at Sky:
“It’s been really nice seeing friends from Scotty’s that I’ve met before but it’s also been great to meet new people. I love being with them because we’ve all experienced the death of a parent and we understand each other. It’s been amazing coming to Sky because we’ve done things not a lot of people get to do. I’ve always wanted to work in the media and it’s been incredible to hear about all the different opportunities at Sky. I also feel a lot more comfortable in front of the camera now.”
16-year-old Tuscany Crowther-Snow has been a member of Scotty’s since 2020, following the death of her dad, Leading Marine Engineering Mechanic Paul Crowther, who was an officer in the Navy and
MOD Police. She said of her visit to Sky:
“It’s always been a dream of mine to become a journalist, so visiting Sky has made my dreams come true. It’s been amazing to have this experience with my friends at Scotty’s.”
Bethan Coomber’s dad, David Coomber, was a Warrant Officer Class 2 in the Royal Corps of Signals. He died when she was 9 years old. Now 21, Bethan said:
“I’m really grateful that Sky has given us such amazing opportunities over the past two days. All of the staff have been welcoming and supportive towards us. Scotty’s have supported me for many years. I’m never disappointed by the experiences they provide and support given.”
Sky’s Group Director of Security and Executive Sponsor of the Armed Forces Network, Niall MacGinnis said:
“At Sky, we recognise the value of supporting the families of those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. We were delighted to welcome Scotty’s Little Soldiers to Sky, supporting them to gain the skills and confidence which enables them to communicate the importance of supporting the Armed Forces community in the UK.”
Scotty’s founder, Nikki Scott, added:
“Thanks so much to Sky for being such incredible hosts. The members of Scotty’s Council got so much from it. The media training they received will help them in the future when they are asked to speak to camera or tell their stories to the media. They’ve also gained an insight into jobs that may interest them in the future.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers was founded in 2010. Services offered to Scotty’s members include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance (including grants), and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone.
Sky runs the Armed Forces Employee Network, an internal community for serving personnel, veterans and their allies to connect, support and share experiences across its UK & Ireland employees. Sky has a longstanding commitment to provide the Armed Forces with the best of their content through Sky’s availability in military bases across the world.
For more info on Scotty’s Little Soldiers, go to www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk
