March Newsletter

I’d like to start this month’s newsletter with some fantastic news.

Royally great news: The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to announce that HRH The Princess Royal is to become our new Patron, following on from many years of Royal Patronage from her mother, Her Majesty The late Queen, who was our Patron for over 70 years.  As we celebrate our Bicentenary, 200 years of supporting Naval children, Patronage of The Princess Royal is of particular significance. 
Her Royal Highness has a long history of supporting military families and promoting the well-being of children. The Princess Royal’s Patronage of The Naval Children’s Charity will bring significant attention to the Charity’s vital work and help to ensure that children of Naval personnel receive the support they need to thrive.
On behalf of all at the Naval Children’s Charity we offer our warmest thanks to HRH for agreeing to become our Patron.  The Princess has shown great interest, over the years, into the wellbeing of our families and Her Royal Highness’s commitment to the Charities that she serves is outstanding.  We look forward to introducing The Princess Royal to our team and our children and young people so that they can tell their stories to Her Royal Highness directly.

Competition Time: Now, as you may have seen we have been running an exciting competition for our young people where we asked for talented young artists to craft a unique ‘200th birthday’ creation using one of our complimentary craft kits. It is fair to say that we were absolutely inundated with some truly wonderful creations.
A selection of young people from our Youth Council had the difficult task of judging the large volume of entries, and after much deliberation we are thrilled to announce that our two winning entries, that will each receive a £200 Merlin Voucher for first place, are Lavinia and Aldo Richmond in the 3 – 8 years category and Ruby Hewins in the 9 – 14 years category. Also winning some fantastic prizes in the runner up positions are Mylah-Rose, Quinn Beale, Imogen Goulbourn and Zac Kwok.

Next month is the Month of the Military Child: April is a month where we champion our amazing, resilient children and young people from Armed Forces families.  They can experience many challenges because they are from an Armed Forces family, and we are in awe of how brilliant they are. 
This April 2025, the MOTMC has a theme of ‘Memories’ – which could not be more appropriate for us here at the Naval Children’s Charity as we celebrate our bicentenary – 200 years of our own memories supporting our Naval children. 
To help us celebrate you and our bicentenary we would like you to share your memories – be as creative as you like: write something, turn it into a poem, draw it, paint it, sculpt it or just send us a photo of you and your Armed Forces family that is a memory you cherish.  With your permission we will share these on social media and our website as we celebrate throughout the month. 

25th April is Purple Up! Day: this is part of the Month of the Military Child and takes place to raise awareness of the unique challenges and resilience of children in military families. This would be a fantastic opportunity if you would like to show your support for us and maybe even join our #NCC200 Club by fundraising for us on the day. If you would like to participate, please wear purple clothing to show your support, you may also like to get your school/organisation involved, whilst fundraising for us. You can download our poster here for further information. Send your photos to: ncc@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk, use the hashtags #MotMC and #ncc200 on social media to share your activities and support, then donate here.

Best wishes,
Clare Scherer MBE
Chief Executive Officer, Naval Children’s Charity

HMS Oardacious and Huggable Heroes

HMS Oardacious’ Submarine Service Mental Health Fund launches its "Huggable Heroes" initiative, aiming to bring comfort to children of Submariners.

As part of Month of the Military Child, HMS Oardacious is launching its new “Huggable Heroes” initiative in conjunction with a film highlighting some of the challenges faced by children with a Submariner parent. (Scroll down for film)

In the film, Sophie Fraser (Families Representative for the HMS Oardacious Management Committee) shares her experience as the spouse of a Submariner with two young children and explains some of the ways that HMS Oardacious is working with other organisations and experts to advocate for this unique community.  Sophie’s husband, Callum Fraser, rowed across the Atlantic in both the 2019 and 2022 HMS Oardacious teams, and Sophie has been intrinsically involved in the project since it was created in 2018. 

HMS Oardacious’ Submarine Service Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund is delighted to announce its funding of a pilot project purchasing 250 Huggable Heroes® vouchers for the children of Submariners currently assigned to Submarines . Huggable Heroes are cuddly toys printed with a photograph of their serving parent, aiming to help children deal with the challenges of separation during the deployment period.  During the trial project, those eligible will be contacted by the Royal Navy to provide more details on how to claim their voucher.

Sophie says: “Members of our organisation have each experienced many deployments and the impact these can have on Mental Health. As such, the team are incredibly passionate about being ambassadors for Mental Health and Wellbeing for both serving personnel and their families and that it is as important to support the families as it is the serving personnel within the Royal Navy. As such, one of the aims of the HMS Oardacious – Submarine Service Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund is dedicated to finding ways to support children of serving personnel who can have varying reactions to a deployment.  The Huggable Heroes® toys represent their parents and give children a tangible reminder of their parent looks like, so they can feel close to them even though in reality they’re a long way away. As we celebrate Month of the Military Child, it was the perfect time to announce the pilot project”.

Cdr Matthew Main, Marine Engineer Officer and Skipper of the HMS Oardacious 2023 Rowing Crew, explains the importance of supporting Submariner families.  “We’re trained for it, when we deploy we’re with other submariners who are literally in the same boat… but our families haven’t signed up for it necessarily, certainly the children haven’t.  Charities and organisations like HMS Oardacious are there to helping to look after your family and to support them through a difficult period.”

Sophie is joined in the film by Helen Mason, Occupational and EMDR Therapist and Co-Founder of The Submarine Mermaid Postal Service Project, a first of its kind project to support young children during submarine deployments where a parent, carer or relative is on deployment to contact the shore.  Helen’s involvement in the film highlights the importance of peer support and the resourcefulness of our Submarine family’s community. 

The HMS Oardacious – Submarine Service Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, supported by RNRMC, is committed to funding resources, projects and events that support the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Submariners and their families during the deployment cycle.  Deployment cycles are a challenging period for everyone involved, not just when the serving person is at sea but also in the pre and post deployment period and the Submarine Service places significant demand on the time of their personnel which can impact their ability to have a normal routine, even when the platform is alongside. The fund is always interested in requests for grants which can help reduce the Mental Health and Wellbeing impact of this part of Royal Navy life.

HMS Oardacious welcome grant requests, for more application guidance and eligibility criteria, visit https://www.rnrmc.org.uk/apply-grant/hms-oardacious-fund.

HMS Oardacious have a website, www.hmsoardacious.com and can be found on Instagram, Facebook and X @HMSOardacious

Huggable Heroes® are an award winning toy, lovingly handmade in Norfolk, England.  The Heroes fit perfectly under little arms to carry around and they are small enough for older children to tuck into school bags.  Find out more at www.huggableheroes.uk.

Youth Voice Survey 2024

Tri-Service Youth Voice Survey 2024

Led by the Tri-Service Youth Voice Steering Group, this survey aims to gather the opinions of as many youth voices as possible. Whether you are addressing the challenges of frequent relocations, social barriers, accessing further education, or work opportunities, every voice matters. The survey is anonymous, ensuring young people may express themselves freely.  

The survey will capture military children’s perspectives, insights, and suggestions. After all, being a part of a Service family can have unique experiences and challenges. The voices of our military youth are vital in shaping the support services and initiatives provided to military families.  

Help us amplify the voices of our Armed Forces youth community by completing the survey today!  

Don’t miss out on the survey’s closing date, Friday 31 May 2024.  

If you want to be involved in your area’s youth voice, then please contact the MOD today.  

Tech Camp

Engineering and Programming Camps

This coming summer, the Naval Children’s Charity are running a programme to help fund places at Tech Camp’s week-long residential engineering and programming camps for children aged 9-17. We are delighted to be able to offer discounted and, in some cases upon application, some further subsidised, places with the different courses offered by Tech Camp based near Winchester.

Campers choose a particular topic for the week with bookings open for four weeks from Monday July 28th to Friday August 23rd 2024 . There are lots of high-tech options from building robots and gadgets, to learning how to fly drones, operate 3D printers, and design computer games.  Uniquely, all campers get to take home the equipment they have built so the learning and experimentation can continue after camp finishes.

To see the range of courses on offer this summer, go to www.techcamp.org.uk/all-courses.  If you’d like to apply for a funded position on one of these courses, you can find out more about how we are supporting families for this event and fill in an application form here.

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Forces Employment Charity

Our partnership with the Forces Employment Charity

The Forces Employment Charity offers the military community life-long, life-changing support. The Families Programme support extends to Service children and young adults aged 16-24. The programme provides free mentorship, resources, and access to events to help individuals on their career journey.

The charity’s dedicated advisors have experience in military life and understand the importance of supporting the whole Service family, in finding fulfilling careers. Advisors will tailor support based on the unique needs of each client. Sessions can boost confidence, help widen aspirations, and explore different pathways into employment. By registering, young people can get help writing their first CV, preparing for interviews, and much more.

How it works..

We are collaborating with the Forces Employment Charity through our Life Chances Programme. Together, our organisations support children from naval families who are embarking on the Tall Ship Empowerment Voyages. The initiative will help participants understand and leverage their skills and experiences toward finding fulfilling and sustainable careers.

Following each voyage, the Forces Employment Charity will conduct dynamic activities and workshops. These sessions will help young people articulate their experiences and identify transferrable skills from their onboard. The charity invites participants aged 16 to 24 years old to register for one-to-one career support.

The Forces Employment Charity delivers ongoing support virtually, adapting to each individual’s preferred communication method, whether online, over the phone, or via email. All Forces Employment Charity staff working with children and young people are subject to enhanced DBS checks for safety and security. All communications are logged meticulously. Parents interested in engaging with their child’s caseworker can easily schedule a call.

Register with the Forces Employment Charity for bespoke career advice !

 

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Month of the Military Child 2024

A Celebration of Military Children.

Did you know the official flower of the military child is the dandelion.

Its seeds are blown far and wide by the wind, but it will always plant roots and blossom wherever it lands. Well-rounded, culturally aware, tolerant, and extremely resilient, military children know that home is where their hearts are and that a good friend can be found in every corner of the world.

April is the Month of the Military Child, a month-long focus on the important role Service children play in the Armed Forces community. It is a time to recognise Armed Forces families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome.

To celebrate this month here at the Naval Children’s Charity we would love to see any artwork, poetry, short stories or the like that your children may create to celebrate this special month. If you are happy for us to share on our social media, please email the works here.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week!
 
A worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and recognising the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual. Please watch the accompanying film to find out how the NCC can help you on this journey.

A New Psychological Toolkit for Armed Forces Children

The Naval Children’s Charity are thrilled to be launching ‘Doing Distance’ – a psychological toolkit for armed forces children, to help them navigate the challenges that come with service life, particularly around separation and mobility.

Whether you are a parent of a military child, or a supporting adult from their school or local community, this new psychological toolkit has been specially designed to help support your armed forces children. This toolkit has been compiled with the help from the team at ‘Bear Us In Mind’, a group with over 30 years’ experience working directly with families around separation and loss.

The Naval Children’s Charity’s aim is for these resources to help military children and their supporting adults to navigate the highs and lows of service life. These tools will help with the processing of the challenges experienced by children and young people and enable them hold on to special memories. All these resources will be available to download for free.

 

Clare Scherer MBE, from the Naval Children’s Charity, said:

”We could not be more grateful to Julie Stokes and the Bear Us In Mind team for their generosity in allowing us to adapt and use this amazing toolkit.  We really think it will bring help and support to lots of our families as they deal with some of the challenges that come with life as a service family.”

 

The ‘Doing Distance’ toolkit can be found here.

Celebrating International Women’s Day

As International Women’s Day is being celebrated across the globe, here at the Naval Children’s Charity we would like to celebrate things a little closer to home. Last month our Chief Executive Officer, Clare Scherer, went to Buckingham Palace to receive her MBE from The Princess Royal, in recognition of her services to Naval families.

Clare received the award as part of His Majesty Charles III’s inaugural ‘Birthday Honours List’. 

“I am extremely proud and delighted to be the recipient of this award. It truly is an honour and I am deeply grateful to HM The King,” said Ms Scherer.  

First working with the NCC as a consultant in 2008, Clare was appointed CEO in 2018. 

During that time, the charity has undergone a successful re-brand, commissioned extensive research into the stresses on the lives of military children in the UK, and produced a suite of resources that help Naval families cope with deployment, grief and mental health. 

“The [MBE] award is in recognition of my work supporting Naval families and, in reality, the award is for my entire team of staff at the NCC,” says Clare.

“They are the ones who work closely with our families, children and young people, ensuring that their needs are met in a compassionate and meaningful way and I would like to commend them for the dedication and passion they bring to the Charity.” 

At the NCC, we believe that to be the child of someone who is, or has been, in the Naval Service should be a positive and enhancing experience – something to be borne with pride.  

As such, over the next few years, the NCC is expanding its ‘Life Chances’ programmes; offering all Naval children new experiences which will give them the skills to thrive in their future lives and careers. 

Clare added: “We are excited to be developing our support to all our Naval Children, not just those where there is crisis driven by disability, illness or significant financial hardship.  

“Many of our children and young people are impacted by their parents’ service in the Royal Navy and we look forward to providing them with resources and opportunities to help them cope and enable them to thrive, helping them to be the best they can be.”

Congratulations once again, Clare Scherer MBE.

Youth Crew

RNSA YOUTH CREW

Our wonderful friends at Greenwich Hospital and the Royal Naval Sailing Association (RNSA) are delighted to provide free sailing opportunities for children of families of personnel serving in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. This is a super exciting chance to support Service families and introduce them to the fun and many benefits of sailing. 

The dedicated courses aim is to get hundreds of 8-17 year olds sailing in 2025 and beyond.  They will be doing everything they can to make these weeks fully accessible and inclusive with no previous experience needed. The project will include a water safety element to help develop confidence for those less well versed with the sea! Please do get in touch as sailing is not only great fun, but also provides a great vehicle for building a whole range of skills in young people as well as enhancing fitness and well-being.

For 2025 some great changes have been made including:

  • RNSA Youth Crew is now available to the 8-17 year olds of serving RN, RFA and RM families.
  • Fully funded by Greenwich Hospital and delivered through the Andrew Simpson Foundation.
  • All equipment provided and no expense to the participant.
  • Residential and Weekly courses in the School Holidays. 
  • 8 locations across the country from Cornwall to Scotland.
  • Participants can achieve their RYA 1&2 and Swim Safe in Beginner Sailing Weeks.
  • New Improver Sailing Weeks for 2024 returnees to achieve their RYA 3& 4
  • Windsurfing courses in specific locations.
  • Members of RNSA Youth crew will have open access to regular participation sailing clubs, with the first 10 sessions being fully subsidised.

Find all the details here:  https://rnsayouthcrew.org.uk/

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