My Daddy is a Soldier Adventures, this charitable initiative was formed in June 2011 dedicated to British Army children (there are in excess of 100,688) who face unique challenges especially when a parent deploys to an operational theatre of war for sometimes up to 7 months at a time or even a shorter exercise away from the family home.
We are run by a voluntary management committee and in March 2011 the founders, one of whom served herself for 4 years in the British Army, organised the ‘My Daddy is a Soldier Trek’.
This enabled three British Army children escape from the stress and worry of their dads deploying to Afghanistan. Following on from the success of this event, the ‘My Daddy is a Soldier’ team realised that many other British Army children could benefit with the right skills and resources. www.mydaddyisasoldieradventures.org
Our aim is to provide easily accessible activities via the web, and activity workshops and events, bookable online for all British Army children with a parent serving away from the family home to attend, offering a distraction to the child at this difficult time. We see a time in the future when British Army Children will benefit from various nationwide workshops and activities covering many different interests, run by My Daddy is a Solider Adventures and appointed regional co-ordinators, in time these would spread worldwide to where the British Army serve and their families live. Our children will be able to have a positive experience with our events with children in a similar situation. Our ultimate goal is to open a residential adventure centre available to all British Army Children with a parent away providing a retreat with planned activities offering respite in a community environment.
The objects of the Charity are to enhance the support already given to British Army Children via various sources by the following, but not exclusively.
- To undertake to promote and enhance the quality of life of those who have a serving parent away from the family home, and
- To provide workshops and activities that offers a distraction to British Army Children.
- To give the parent serving their country away from the family home the reassurance that their child(ren) have support
- Support the parent left at home and provide a wider community
The support and positivity we have already received has been phenomenal and we already have run some fantastic events for children with a parent away from the family home, including a Christmas Party at The Victory Services Club in London for 300 and also a day in January for 56 children at Chelsea Football Club. In 2012 we have run a Pop Academy in Aldershot with Same Difference from X Factor fame, a ceramic painting day, Jamie Oliver cooking class and coming up we have and a weekend event with The British Army Orienteering Club in June, Singing Academy and Concert 28th July and Arsenal FC Day in August plus many other events!
I didn’t realise there were so many service kids, I actually went to a Military boarding school (DYRMS) and at the time it was only open to children whose parents had served.
Personally, I think the UK could do with a few more of those sorts of places. I know it did a great deal to help me and fellow pupils through some rough times and the shared experience built on the foundation of a common upbringing was genuinely rewarding.
It might not have been a universally brilliant experience at times but I know a lot of those guys and girls, had they been forced through the state system, would have failed. Myself possibly included.
I believe that providing education in this format to the children of military personnel should be the one ‘perk’ absolutely safe-guarded. There are plenty of good buildings and grounds in the UK looking for just such a purpose and it’s not like we are asking for our own military only Disney resort (Cough*America*cough).
As such, I am genuinely pleased that service children aren’t being forgotten when they (and particularly their mothers) often need a break and a bit of help.