Sometimes you need to look back, not just forward

We have been riding the My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures wave for over a year now......and what a wave it has been!

So often when creating something you constantly look to the future, the next thing, the goal you are striving towards for that week/month but sometimes you need to stop. and remember, look back and absorb your achievements to date.

On Friday we had My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures first Gala Dinner, it was a night of new faces and sharing our visions and dreams and the support was amazing. So heartfelt.

We put together a presentation for the evening and we realised we have achieved SO much and we have achieved it together and because we truly believe in British Army children being strong and special.

Seeing our achievements on a big screen was an emotional moment for us, our events have made a difference even if its to just one child and a community is being born which is what we wanted.

One British Army...we want One Community.

Achievements

- Events run in 2011 (Christmas Party & LapLand UK)

- Reaching £5,000 of donations

- Getting to the required level to register with The Charity Commission

- Launch of website http://www.mydaddyisasoldieradventures.org/

- Launch of Online Shop

- Partnering with many external shop suppliers (all army wives/partners)

- Developing the Little Troopers Treasure communications package

- Having an event booked in the diary every month right up until August 2012!

- MEETING SO MANY OF YOU!

The above are just a few there's so many others that are so important to us and I won't lie it has been stressful and tears have been shed but its so worth it. We have witnessed so many smiles from Little Troopers and received so many emails from you and we are on this journey all together.

So lets keep achieving and keep growing this community...For the Little Troopers at Home xxx

Little Troopers Treasures initiative

Today we are announcing the launch of Little Troopers Treasures, a new initiative that will enable soldiers to record audio stories and DVDs and even personal letters for their children to listen to or watch in their absence.

We are so excited about this and we are lucky enough to have met and collaborated with a fantastic recording team! The initiative looks set to grow as we have so many ideas! We aim to be travelling around various regiments and garrisons with units deploying soon to ensure this service is offered to as many families as possible!

Having that voice that is so special to listen to every night before bed or that familiar face to watch every day on DVD will ensure the bond of parent/child is kept whilst the soldier is away from the family home.

The My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures community is growing daily and we want our support to match the needs of the British Army families out there, this is something people have told us is needed so we have done our best to create something bespoke to offer.

So... if you have a soldier going away soon or you know someone that does let us know and we will endeavour to arrange a recording day in the area, this really will be a keepsake to have forever and something our Little Troopers at Home really will treasure....

Same Difference brings some POP to Aldershot!

4th February 2012 and Sean and Sarah from Same Difference bought their Pop Academy to Aldershot for children of My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures. I'm not quite sure I've ever met nicer people, they were so accomodating and commited to running a days workshop for the children.

40 British Army children from Aldershot and surrounding areas came to the Pop Academy, Tesco donated the refreshments and Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre donated the workshop area, it was a fantastic day and great fun was had by all! Children sang, learnt dance routines and performance techniquies all taught personally by Same Difference.

I really wanted this post to be about was how far we have come, how many children we are managing to reach and the difference our events are now making. We always said if we put a smile on just one British Army childs face it would be an achievement and that we have definately achieved.

At the end of the Pop Academy the children put on a performance, I sat with tears in my eyes so proud of that group of children and so proud of the community we are creating.

I wanted to share the below comments we recieved:

"thank you for all your hard work with the pop academy, my 3 girls loved it so much..you do a great job so keep it up.xxxx"

"Thank you sooo much for such an amazing day yesterday x My little girl hasn't stopped talking about it x"

"many thanks again for a fab day, the boys had a great afternoon."

This particular quote captures it all and makes every second of our journey to date worthwhile:

"Fantastic day have not seen XXXXX that happy since his dad went away.. Thanks for arranging it you guys are doing something so truely wonderful, and we can't thank you enough"

To top if off we made front page news the week after!

So do continue to support My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures, 2012 is a fundamental year for us and we need all the help and support we can get, the journey only continues if you join us on it!

Remember its For the Little Troopers at Home....

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.

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

Our year so far....

We really wanted to share this with you...I cry every time I watch it, this brings into a few minutes the last year for My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures and it has been such a journey!

We can't wait to see lots of your faces in the video of the next year!!!

Thank you for supporting us. xxx

Christmas Party for 288 - MISSION COMPLETE

As you have read we formed in the summer of 2011 after our Snowdon trek in February 2011 the first event Linda and I really wanted to have was a huge Christmas Party, a special day where we as British Army families could get together, be a community, have some fun and celebrate what we belonged to...never did we dream it would be as amazing as it was!

Lots of hard work, late nights, emails and phone calls asking for help...and not a penny of funding and the results were fantastic!

The donations from companies and organisations blew us away and it would not have been possible with out them

288 people came together on 21st December 2011 at The Victory Services Club, all something to do with the British Army with 179 of those being children of soldiers' some had dads or mums away this Christmas some were lucky enough to have them at home this year but everyone was was wearing a smile.

Carol singers greeted everyone, Santa awaited, Major General Norton got the party started, dancing happened, crafts were completed, a tombola was sold out and faces were painted there was a buzz in the room like no other.

I remember taking 2 minutes and looking down at all the children having the best time all smiling and giggling and thinking this makes it all worth it, this is what we wanted to achieve!

This photo is why:

The day drew to a close Linda and I shed a fair few tears...of joy, happiness and tiredness I think! We had to pinch ourselves a little...WE DID IT! On our own and with no money, so many people though we were taking on too much, it wasn't possible...we proved them wrong!

The comments we have received since the event have been heartwarming and so appreciated so thank you all for those and thank you for coming and being a part of the day.

We have so many plans for 2012 and we welcome you on the ride into next year and more events with My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures for The Little Troopers at Home... xx

Do check out these links:

http://www.itv.com/london/troops-childrens-party39237

http://bfbs.com/news/england/christmas-party-army-kids-54089.html