Scotty’s Little Soldiers has launched an expanded events programme for 2025 in response to feedback from its members, ensuring more bereaved military children and young people can build friendships and feel part of a supportive community.
The programme is designed to reduce isolation and provide meaningful opportunities for connection. By hosting events in multiple locations across the UK, the charity is making them more accessible for families, ensuring more young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces can take part.
A New Approach for 2025
Following feedback from nearly 200 Scotty Families and input from Scotty’s Council – a panel of bereaved young people supported by Scotty’s who help shape the charity’s future – the events strategy has been refined to ensure:
- Greater Accessibility: Events are designed to include families with SEND needs and neurodiversity.
- Wider Reach: Scotty’s has already supported over 730 bereaved military children and young people this year and expects that number to grow. The revised schedule ensures opportunities for all who wish to attend.
- Stronger Family Bonds: Some events will welcome wider family members, including stepparents and siblings from new partnerships, to strengthen family support networks.
Research demonstrates that following a bereavement, children are at risk of isolation and feel that connecting with their peers – and especially those who have also experienced a bereavement – can help. Bringing families together through events can have an immediate positive impact, and the aim is that families also build connections with each other that transcend Scotty’s, having a long-term impact.
The Events Programme
Scotty’s is introducing ‘Scotty’s On Tour’, a series of three events in different regions of the UK, in partnership with the Army Widows’ Association, RAF Widows’ Association, Royal Navy and Royal Marines Widows’ Association, and the War Widows’ Association. These events will be held in areas with a high number of Scotty families and will encourage long-term local support networks.
In addition, Scotty’s will host a Summer Festival and a Winter Festival, providing opportunities for larger gatherings alongside smaller, more intimate events throughout the year. There will also be a virtual event, following the success of the online party held at the end of 2024, which was joined by The Duke of Sussex.
These events will provide a mix of small and medium-sized gatherings, accessible locations, quiet spaces, and inclusive themes.
Following a previous Scotty event, 81% of children and young people said they felt improved sense of belonging, and 76% felt they had increased ability to make new friends in their wider life which will foster their ability to have community in their day-to-day life.
Rachel Scott, Head of Service at Scotty’s Little Soldiers, said:
“We want our events to be fun – laughter is a good medicine, and sometimes bereaved children need to remember that it is okay to have fun and not feel guilty about laughing. But we also want families to bond and create their own network of support with other families.
“We listened to our members and reshaped our events to meet their needs. Our programme ensures that more bereaved military children can connect with others who understand their experiences, helping them build friendships and feel supported.”
When a young person joins Scotty’s, they become a member and are supported until their 25th birthday. Whether it be 1:1 bereavement support, a respite break with the family, an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation, or access to extracurricular activities, Scotty’s is always there for its members to ensure they don’t feel alone.
So far this year, Scotty’s has supported over 730 bereaved military children and young people. Scotty’s estimates that each year 2,100 children are newly bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces*. The charity wants to support these children and has a long-term goal of supporting over 1,000 young people annually by 2030.
*Scotty’s Little Soldiers has produced estimates drawn from reliable national datasets (including the Census 2021 and MoD data).
For more information, visit www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk.
