Blog from the founder of the charity Little Troopers. Military wife and mum sharing thoughts and feelings of being a British Armed Forces family.

Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting all children with parents serving in the British Armed Forces, regular or reserve. We provide fundamental resources, initiatives and events to ease and aid repeated separation periods aiming to keep parent and child connected and bonded even when miles apart

15 Jan 2012

It's not a competition

I felt compelled to write this post, maybe brave, maybe stupid but none the less I think I will feel better afterwards and that's what a blog is for right? for sharing and gaining opinion.


Our journey with My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures has been up and down, some joyous moments and some tough moments but the common thread through all is our reason for doing this.

We never set out to start a charity it was never an ambition or want of ours, we decided to do it in reaction to something not being available when we needed it. It was an answer to a problem and there was/is nothing else out there specifically for British Army children especially when they have a parent away, if there was we wouldn't have done it we would have used that resource. We don't want to duplicate anything.


The third sector is a new experience for both of us, the military third sector is something we've never entered before and it is almost a current trend to enter it and 'jump on the bandwagon' and wow we have learnt some lessons.

Where we thought it would be a cosy, huggy, welcoming arena we were shocked when this hasn't been our experience. Where we thought people would rush to help us and advise we were wrong.

The people and organisations we thought would be supportive are not, they seem defensive and threatened. We've met with many of them to share our ideas and more often then not I have come out crying, crushed that people see our cause as a dilution of the military third sector.


So we steam on and our grit and determination and experience keeps us going regardless.


British Army children DO face unique challenges and they DO live a different life to other children and we are so passionate that we want this recognised and those children supported. All of them.


Its not a competition there is room for all of us, everything we have achieved has been through cheekiness, hard work, asking and a having a cause that people want to support. We aren't diluting, we are offering something that didn't exist before and we want to bring together everything that does exist to British Army families so there is no duplication and people know everything that is currently available.


So we continue, every time we don't get an email response from an organisation we would hope we would, every time we get a 'we can't support your cause' response from people who you think we absolutely should and every time we receive a 'but do Army children REALLY face anything different to civilian children' reply it makes us stronger and more determined.


Its not a competition and there is no winner.

9 Jan 2012

2012 kicks off For the Little Troopers at Home....




2nd January 2012 and My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures took some Little Troopers to Chelsea FC for the day! what a day it was....


The training ground of Chelsea FC in Cobham is a fab facility and the coaching staff were truly amazing, we were humbled that they had all volunteered to be involved in the day on a bank holiday too!




The children arrived and were split into four groups they then spent the morning learning and refining their football skills and playing some games, lunch came which was an rather loud time!! Seeing all the kids having such fun was so amazing they went back out after lunch and the Chelsea FC youth team came over and had a kick about with the children....something we hadn't arranged so was a great addition to the day!





The day came to a close and JonJo from the X Factor popped in to give the children their medals, all children were given a Chelsea FC goodie bag and a My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures goodie bag and ALL left with a huge smile!




I have a feeling all the children would have slept well that night and we definately had some little troopers with stiff legs the next day! They should all now be recieving in the post their tshirt as a memory of the day.



Another great day and we hope for many more in 2012, thanks again all for coming and supporting The Little Troopers at Home...we, you, us are making a difference.




Louise & Linda xx