Our first and very special London Marathon runner!

Back in 2015 we got a lovely email from Becky who had won a ballot place in the London Marathon 2016 and she'd chosen Little Troopers as her charity!!!

I am always so touched by the support and when people choose to fundraise for Little Troopers is brings such a smile, we're a really small charity compared to other military charities and every single penny counts, we support so many thousands in so many locations we try as hard as possible to make every pound stretch as far as possible.

For a charity to buy places for the London Marathon is hundreds of pounds per place so we've never been in a position to have any so this really was fantastic for Becky to have got a ballot place an even more so she chose us!!! You can apply for a 2017 ballot place HERE 2-6th May 2016 you need to enter.

24th April 2016 was London Marathon Day and I kept a track of Beckys progress all day online and posting updates on social media, it was just so fantastic to have someone running those 26 miles wearing a Little Trooper running vest, I felt so so proud.

Becky totally smashed the run and her donation target and her sponsorship has gone over £900, her account of the experience is one everyone should read and I've posted it below.

But from me, what a special lady to be our first ever London Marathon runner, thank you soooooo much Becky.

Louise xxxx

So, I did it!!
Everything from my waist down hurts and I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to manage at work but I am so proud of myself for getting through it and finishing in 5 hrs 26 minutes and 26 seconds - which included a wee stop at mile 19!!
The whole experience was completely overwhelming, no matter how many people tell you about the amazing crowd support and how important it is to have your name on your vest, you cannot imagine what it is going to be like until you are there.
The sweets from random strangers that keep you going (especially the jelly tots from he hot fireman!!). The guys running in full chain mail, a giant dinosaur costume or with a tumble dryer on his back. The hundreds of different charities on people's vests. The other runners that you chat to along the way. Running past the Cutty Sark. Stopping for a hug from Mike Thompson and the boys at mile 12 which was already 4 miles further than I'd ever run in one go. Crossing Tower bridge. Coughing and nearly wee-ing a bit at mile 16! Having someone shout 'nearly there' just after mile 16 and having the mental discipline to not go over a me punch them when there's still 10 miles to go. Texting the husband during a planned walk break to ask why on earth I ever though it was a good idea to run a marathon. Passing a guy at mile 19 dressed as Jesus, carrying a cross on his back in bare feet. Being passed by a Rhino, Womble and Darth Vader. The pats on the back and arms round the shoulders from other runners to check that during walk breaks I was ok. Thinking that you can't run another step but realising that it's quicker than walking to the end and everything hurts anyway. Seeing Tom and the boys again at mile 25 when you know that you really are 'nearly there'. Running through the park towards Buckingham palace and then turning the corner onto The Mall. The girl called Hannah at the 26 mile marker that saw me walking and told me to finish it running with her. Crossing the finish line with one finger in the air in a salute to ‪#‎oneinamillion‬
I want to thank all of you for your amazing support and sponsorship over the last few weeks and know just how much good it can do for Little Troopers, but most of all I need to that the great British public, without them I would I never have got round.
At mile 20 I said never again. In only a few hours I decided that I have no intention of ever running a marathon again, unless it is London.
Anybody else who wants to sponsor me can at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/beckythomps

Today is the day!!!

2011 seems so long ago now....so much has happened in that space of time.

This is a picture of where it all began, me and my much smaller Little Trooper at the summit of Snowdon, my friends and family all rallied round to support the trek I wanted to do to distract my Little Trooper from the pain she was feeling from be constantly, repeatedly separated from her soldier daddy. You can read more about the 2011 trek here

Post the trek My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures was born and over the last 4 years its been a rocky but rewarding road to see the charity grow into such a worthwhile community for forces families.

I always like to dream big and there is so much I want to achieve for military families but expanding the charity to include RAF and Royal Navy families was always top of my list.
It has taken a long time to reach where we are today, lots of lessons been learnt, lots of people who have supported the growth and help make it happen but waking up this morning I had the biggest smile on my face...

WE ARE NOW THE FIRST TRI-SERVICE CHILDRENS CHARITY FOR SERVING UK ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL!!!!!!!!!!

Little Troopers is our new charity name and we look forward to welcoming lots of new Royal Navy and Royal Air Force families to the community as well as the British Army families we already support. Regardless of service, children experience repeated separation and we want to be there to support all the Little Troopers of our British Armed Forces.

Visit our new website: www.littletroopers.net



This has been an amazing journey so far and I am so pleased we have reached this milestone, there are so many people supporting this cause and making this happen....I couldn't do this on my own.

I can't wait to meet lots of you in the coming months, we are holding launch events for RAF and Royal Navy families in early 2016, we have our Snowdon weekend event in April and of course Summer Camp in June!

Thank you from me for the continued support, here's to the next chapter!

Louise xxxxx

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.