Forces Children’s Trust – Week Adventure Holiday in the Lakes

A week’s adventure holiday in the Lake District for 10 – 22 year olds.

This year the Naval Children’s Charity has formed a partnership with the Forces
Children’s Trust, to offer up to six young people from Naval families (serving and ex-serving) the opportunity to take part in a fully inclusive, residential activity week in the Lake District from the 19th – 23rd August 2024. This exciting event will be run by The Outward Bound Trust, who specialise in outdoor learning courses that provide an alternative education and give young people the confidence to tackle the real world head on.

The event will be held at the Howtown Centre, located in a secluded and sheltered
bay on the shores of Ullswater. All Food and accommodation will be provided. We are
also able to consider support with travel costs. Young people aged 10-22 are eligible
to attend as long as they are still in full-time education.


Criteria for participation
  • A young person whose parent has died whilst serving as a member of the British Armed Forces
  • A young person whose parent has sustained life-changing injuries whilst
  • serving as a member of the British Armed Forces
  • A young person whose serving parent is suffering with PTSD
  • A young person from a British Armed Forces family who is a carer for someone or who may be dealing with domestic violence.

If you fit within these criteria and you’re interested in taking part in this exciting opportunity, please get in touch with Denny Wise at the Forces Children’s Trust to register your interest, explaining where you heard about the opportunity. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis so please apply early to avoid disappointment: denny.wise@forceschildrenstrust.org.uk

Other Life Chances

LEADERS UNLOCKED

THE ANNINGTON CHALLENGE & THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST – Adventure of a Lifetime

HRH King Charles III – Coronation Day – 6th May 2023

The Naval Children’s Charity is proud to have been supported by the Royal Family for many years, both HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and the late Queen, HM Queen Elizabeth II, were Patrons for many years.  We wish HRH King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla a long and happy reign.

This is how we celebrated MOTMC and a massive thank you to everyone that got involved

April is the Month of the Military Child, this is a wonderful initiative that both celebrates and brings awareness to, the experiences of military children across the UK.

To celebrate this month, we ask our Naval Children to send us in videos telling us about the positive impact being a military child has had on them.

Well, we asked, and you certainly delivered, we had so many wonderful videos sent in that we have made a little montage of our favourite bits. Have a watch…

Thank you so much to all who took part.

Crown fit for a King – Design a Crown Competition

Welcome to the Design a Crown competition, where children get to showcase their creativity and design skills! In honour of the King’s Coronation on 6th May, we’re calling all young artists to join in the fun and participate in this exciting competition.

How it works: We’ve created a design template for you to add your designs to. All you need to do is let your imagination run wild and create your own unique crown design. It’s that simple! Once you’re happy with your design, snap a picture and send it to us with your name, age, and address.

And what’s the best part? Every participant will receive a special commemorative gift for taking part in the competition! It’s our way of thanking you for sharing your creativity and supporting the King’s Coronation.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your pencils, markers, or paints and start designing your crown. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

How it submit your designs:
Submit your designs to the address below
or submit your designs on our dedicated competition page

Naval Childrens Charity,
311 Twyford Avenue
Stamshaw,
Portsmouth,
PO2 8RN

Naval Children to sail coast of UK on the adventure of a lifetime

We’re delighted to announce that we will once again be offering Naval children the opportunity to sail the UK coast, in partnership with the Tall Ships Youth Trust (TSYT).

Download the Flyer

 

Four voyages are available for Naval children. For those aged 12-15 there will be three trips, with another expedition planned for children aged 16-25.

Setting sail from, or ending up in, either Portsmouth or Plymouth, the expedition lasts five days before making port.

Aboard one of TSYT’s iconic 72ft Challenger Yachts, the explorers of tomorrow will be involved in all aspects of sailing from ropework and sail handling to helming.

The crew will also learn valuable transferable skills. Working as a team, developing their communication and leadership skills, these young people will come away with the capability to overcome barriers, and excel in their transition to adulthood.

Naval Children’s Charity CEO, Clare Scherer said: “We are delighted to be able to offer more of these voyages to our children and young people again this year. Those that went on the voyages last year had the most amazing time, forging friendships and bonding with their shared backgrounds from Naval families.“

The voyages will be completely subsidised by the NCC. For families that need extra support, grants are available for travel and kit (means tested). We would like to thank The Gosling Foundation, and The Mordaunt Foundation for their financial support.

There are ten positions available on each expedition. To apply, parents will need to fill out an application form; each child will also be required to supply a short statement on why they would like to take part. Places will be allocated based on the information provided on the expression on interest form, taking into account family circumstances, with a particular focus on the young person’s reasons for applying.

This opportunity is open to the child of any parent or guardian who is serving or is a veteran of the Royal Navy, including Royal Marines, WRNS, QARNNS, Reserves and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Please provide the service details of the parent or guardian when you enquire.

Details of voyages:

Voyage 1: Tuesday 1st August – Saturday 5th August Age 12-15yrs Portsmouth – Plymouth

Voyage 2: Monday 7th August – Friday 11th August Age 12-15yrs Plymouth – Portsmouth

Voyage 3: Monday 16th October – Friday 20th October Age 16-25yrs Portsmouth – Portsmouth

Voyage 4: Monday 23rd October – Friday 27th October Age 12-15yrs Portsmouth – Portsmouth

The closing date for applications for Voyages 1 and 2 is Friday 30th June

The closing date for applications for Voyages 3 and 4 is Friday 15th September

These voyages expand on the success of NCC and TSYT’s maiden expeditions in the summer of 2022.

Two crews sailed the coastline of Scotland on the Challenger yacht. Both sets of young people achieved their Royal Yachting Association (RYA) certificates, with three of our cohort continuing their RYA training with TSYT.

TSYT’s Director of Youth Development and Outdoor Learning, Kirsty French, said:“We are excited to welcome another cohort of young people aboard one of our Challenger yachts as part of our ongoing partnership with the Naval Children’s Charity.

“Our previous NCC voyages during the Round Britain Adventure really enabled the young people to push themselves beyond their comfort zone, learning to work together to overcome shared challenges. We are looking forward to giving even more young people the opportunity to enjoy this truly transformational experience with Tall Ships Youth Trust.”

One parent from last year’s cohort said: “Before his dad left he was a confident, outgoing boy who had a wide friendship group and loved to make people laugh. Sadly over the last few years he had become withdrawn and nervous. What a difference the voyage has made….he has become much more confident and I’ve got my happy, smiling boy who likes to make people laugh back.”

This initiative furthers the NCC’s commitment to giving Naval children, ‘Life Chances’, expanding the reach of the charity to provide for all members of the community, not just those families in need of financial support.

Scherer added: “Much of our support focuses on families in crisis. However, we want our children and young people to not just survive but also to thrive and for our charitable support to repay a dividend to each of our beneficiaries for life.

“To achieve that we aim to offer them opportunities outside the norm, so that their horizons are wide and distant, and help them to appreciate that anything is within their reach. By providing those chances and showing them what could be possible, we aim to unlock the spirit in every child and help them achieve their full potential in life.

“Our Life Chances programme offers opportunities such as our partnership with the Tall Ships Youth Trust where our Naval young people can go on sponsored voyages experiencing a fantastic adventure as well as enabling them to achieve their RYA Competent Crew Certificate and, if appropriate, contribute towards the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Or the offer from ACE London Irish for budding Rugby players.”

Celebrating during periods of deployment

Separation is part and parcel of military life. Naval families often face longer periods of deployment, resulting in missing landmarks such as Father’s and Mother’s Day or birthdays. Here are some tips for celebrating during periods of separation. Continue reading

Knitting the family: mummy and daddy dolls help children’s wellbeing while parents are on deployment

At Crofton Hammond Infant School in Fareham, Hampshire, the teachers identified a recurring issue, impacting the children’s wellbeing. 

In July 2019, 32% of the school’s pupils were from Armed Forces families, with the majority of those parents serving in the Royal Navy. The staff observed that high numbers of these children were suffering in their parent’s absence, affecting their engagement and learning. 

As per The Children’s Commissioner’s 2018 Kin and County report, primary school children can suffer from ‘sadness, worry and general unease’, due to the short- or long-term deployment of a parent. 

The teachers decided to implement a ‘deployment package’, that would help children adjust to a period of separation. 

Drawing inspiration from our ‘Knit the Family’ initiative, the school decided to create a special set of dolls for each family. 

A proficient knitter created bespoke dolls in the likeness of a child and their parent. Following a successful implementation, the scheme was extended to include civilian children whose parents worked away during the week. 

Many parents reported that the child and doll were inseparable, and that the children were overjoyed to see their doll doppelgängers out on deployment with mummy or daddy. 

Staff observed a positive impact on the pupil’s wellbeing and readiness to learn, while many parents reported a greater sense of community within the school. It has also raised awareness within the children to be sensitive around a peer when their mum or dad is on deployment. 

A Year 1 teacher at Crofton Hammond Infant School said: 

“One child, who found it particularly tricky that her dad worked away Monday to Friday, just pops her ‘Daddy Doll’ in the front of her jumper when she comes to school and consequently, she can cope a lot better, and her learning has really improved.” 

You can read more about the school’s deployment packages by downloading the report. This case study was provided by the Service Children’s Progression Alliance, a charity that strives to improve educational outcomes for children and young people from Armed forces families.   

We’re always on the lookout for knitters to volunteer their skills. We’ve found that a version of mummy or daddy, or the protagonists of our short stories, The Time Rabbit and Time Penguin, can help children struggling with separation profoundly. Please visit the fundraisers & supporters page of our website to find out more.