SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) has partnered with the charity Scotty's Little Soldiers on a new campaign to raise awareness of their support for bereaved military children.
Every year, it is estimated that 2,100 children experience the death of a parent who has served in the British Armed Forces.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers was founded by British Army widow Nikki Scott in honour of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, who was killed in Afghanistan in July 2009.
Seeing the effects that Lee’s death had on their two young children, Brooke and Kai, Nikki launched Scotty’s Little Soldiers 14 years ago in August 2010.
The charity helps bereaved military children through activities, gifts and group events; information and guidance for parents and carers and one-on-one professional bereavement support; and education and development opportunities.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers can support any child or young person aged 0-25 who are bereaved of a parent that has served in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, in the Regular or Reserve forces.
So far this year, Scotty’s Little Soldiers has supported more than 700 children, and the charity hopes to support over 1,000 children a year by 2030. By raising awareness of the charity across its busy network, SWR aims to help them achieve that goal.
Posters are now on display at SWR stations across the South of England, which show bereaved children proudly holding photographs of their loved one. By scanning the QR code on the posters, customers will be able to donate to the charity.
Special announcements will also play at stations on the SWR network. In them, Nikki tells the story of Lee and why she set up the charity.
A video about Scotty’s Little Soldiers can be watched here.
Peter Williams, Customer and Commercial Director of South Western Railway, commented:
“We’ve been really inspired by Nikki’s story and the stories of the children and young people Scotty’s Little Soldiers has helped since it was founded 14 years ago.
“Experiencing the death of a parent at a young age is devastating, so we are proud to have Scotty’s Little Soldiers as one of our official charity partners and to help raise awareness of the fantastic work they do to support bereaved military children.
“We hope that this campaign will help them reach their goal of supporting 1,000 children and young people a year by 2030.”
Nikki Scott, Founder of Scotty's Little Soldiers, commented:
“Thank you so much to South Western Railway for supporting Scotty’s Little Soldiers by helping to raise awareness of our work. We currently provide support to over 700 children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
“All our members have been through so much and we are honoured to be able to provide them with support and guidance throughout their childhood and reassure them they aren’t alone. With support from South Western Railway, we hope to be able to help many more bereaved military young people.”
On Monday 5 August, it was also announced that SWR has received the Silver Award as part of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. This award recognises the commitment and support that SWR shows for the Armed Forces and veterans, aligned with the values of the Armed Forces Covenant.
SWR has been building its reputation as a strong supporter of the Armed Forces and its people – signing the Armed Forces Covenant, supporting the Coronation of The King and Queen, fundraising during Armed Forces Week and naming a train for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
More information about Scotty’s Little Soldiers and its important work can be found on its website.
