“I was able to speak to other people my age about a sensitive topic I don’t normally talk about.”
20-year-old William Godwin was just 15 when his dad, Flight lieutenant David Godwin, died by suicide. He joined Scotty’s Little Soldiers in 2018 and is now part of our Springboard Programme for young adults aged 18 to 25. This summer, he attended our Springboard Away Weekend in the Peak District, where he took part in an adventurous three days full of fun, physically challenging activities with other Springboarders. The goal of the weekend was to support bereaved military young people in making and retaining lifelong friendships, reduce social isolation, increase their confidence and build connections with other people their age who have all experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
So, what did William have to say about the experience?
Will after abseiling off a bridge
When I saw that there was an opportunity to go away for a weekend with Scotty’s, I thought, ‘hey, why not?’
When I normally go away, it’s with friends and people I already know, so the prospect of getting to go somewhere new and meet some new people at the same time was exciting. I used to attend Scouts almost religiously and I’m now a member of Network, which is a similar thing but for young adults. I’ve always loved getting outside, exploring new places and getting to do things I wouldn’t have a chance to do at home. I’m used to getting up, going to work and heading back home at the end of the day, so having the chance to completely leave that routine behind and enjoy the Peak District for a weekend isn’t something I was ever going to turn down. It also felt like a really good opportunity to meet some other young people who have lost a military parent, which isn’t something I get the chance to do very often, so I was interested to find how their experiences compared to my own.
Scotty's Springboarders kayaking together
We went abseiling off a bridge...
Abseiling off a bridge is something I didn’t even know you could do! I’ve abseiled off a cliff before, but it felt totally different as this time there was no one at the bottom. We were just hoisting ourselves down while we span around in circles – it was great fun.
We also went weaselling, which is basically overground caving. There are these massive rocks with holes naturally cutting through them, so you slam on your helmet and scramble in there. We weaselled our way up to a place called Robin Hood’s Cave, which is a naturally formed balcony just sitting on the side of a cliff face. Seeing these really cool places and finding secrets you’d never know about otherwise – it’s a great example of why I love doing stuff like Scotty’s springboard Away Weekend. I want to go there again with my mates just so I can show them.
Of all the activities, though, my favourite was probably the kayaking we did on the last day. It was literally just an hour sat on the water chilling in the heat, splashing each other and trying not to get your suncream washed off. I failed on that last one and got a little burnt, but I now look like I have a permanent tan, so I can’t complain!
Will preparing to abseil
It wasn’t just outdoor activities, either...
In the evening, Scotty’s held workshops and games that we all got involved in. We had a massive game of dingbatts that lasted three days (when it finally ended, we decided all of us were winners for seeing it through to the end) and a few different workshops that were really good for breaking the ice and starting up some interesting conversations.
During one workshop, we each wrote a question on a piece of paper and then we all answered. Some people wrote quite casual, fun stuff like ‘what’s your favourite flavour of ice cream,’ while other people wrote more serious stuff. It was a good mixture. For example, I wrote ‘what did your parents do in the military?’ It led to a really interesting conversation about everyone’s history and was a great way to get to know each other.
From that conversation, I then spoke to a couple of other Springboarders one-on-one. It was good to hear what other people’s thoughts and feelings were about losing their parent and how it compares to your reality. It was actually quite reassuring as well, as they both felt very similar to myself. We all want to remember our parent and honour everything they did, but we’re also living our own lives now and don’t want to let what happened in the past get in the way of our future.
Will and Scotty's Child and Young Person Bereavement Support Worker, Mark
It was a different kind of adventure...
Whenever I go on trips like this, they’re usually pretty intense and you’re constantly rushing back and forth to reach your next activity in time. Just having a few activities during the day and a workshop in the evening meant there was more time for everyone to chat, relax and get to know each other. There were a few people there who had never stayed away from their parent before, so it felt like a good, confidence-boosting introduction to the world of adventure weekends for them. Overall, it was much more of a social experience than I’m used to, and because of that I was able to speak to other people my age about a sensitive topic I don’t normally talk about. I’d happily do it again.
Will with Mark and Emma from the Scotty's team and some more Springboarders
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.
Inspired by the experience of Army widow Nikki Scott, following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009, the charity, which was set up in 2010, provides support and guidance to hundreds of bereaved military children and young people throughout their childhood.
Services offered to Scotty’s members include access to child bereavement support, guidance to parents and carers, personal education and learning assistance (including grants), and fun activities such as holiday respite breaks and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone.
If you know a child or young person who has experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces, they could be eligible for specialist bereavement support from Scotty's Little Soldiers. Hundreds of bereaved military children aren’t getting the support they need but we are here to help.
If you are the parent or carer of a bereaved military child or young person, click here.
If you work with bereaved children & young people, click here.
If you are a bereaved young person seeking support, click here.
