Bereaved Military Children Supported by Scotty’s Honour Their Parents During Remembrance Weekend
London: Remembrance Sunday, 10th November 2024.
Over Remembrance weekend, 53 members of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the charity for bereaved British Forces children and young people, gathered in London to pay tribute to their military parents.
Recognisable in their distinctive black and yellow Scotty scarves, the children, ranging from age nine to 24 years, took part in the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance and marched past the Cenotaph at the National Service of Remembrance in memory of their heroes.
Nikki Scott (BEM), who founded Scotty’s in 2010, following the death of her husband Corporal Lee Scott in Afghanistan in 2009, said of the weekend:
“Remembrance is such an important time for bereaved military families. We remember our loved ones every day, but Remembrance is a time when the nation comes together to pay their respects and thank them for their service. It means a lot to members of Scotty’s to support one another on what is a proud but difficult weekend. I love seeing the community that Scotty’s has created and the sense of solidarity between the families. It was also amazing to feel so much support from the crowds as we marched.”
Ahead of Remembrance Weekend, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, who is Scotty’s Global Ambassador, sent members of Scotty’s a special letter to let them know they are in his thoughts. This has become an annual tradition.
16-year-old Lexie is one of the Scotty Members who took part in the weekend. Lexie’s dad, Sergeant Oliver Pallett (RAF) died in 2020 by suicide. Lexie and her younger sister joined Scotty’s in April 2020, two months after their dad’s death. Speaking about the weekend, Lexie said:
“Remembrance is really important to me, and I felt proud to honour my dad and the work he did during his time in service. I want others to understand the sacrifices servicemen and women make. Scotty’s means a great deal to me as they help me understand how to deal with my grief and know that I’m not the only one going through it. They also helped me realise that it is ok to still be happy and smile after my dad’s death. Scotty’s has changed me into the person I am today, and it meant a lot to me to spend this important weekend with other members of Scotty’s.”
There were 100 people in total from Scotty’s, as the 53 children and young people were accompanied by a parent / carer and members of the Scotty’s team. The large group attracted a lot of attention as they stood out in their black and yellow scarves, worn to show solidarity. These colours were chosen to match those of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, where Scotty’s namesake, Corporal Lee “Scotty” Scott, served before being killed in Afghanistan in 2009.
A Huge thanks to Lest We Forget for contributing over £21,000 towards the cost of Scotty’s attending Remembrance Weekend.
Thanks also to Rail Delivery Group for providing train tickets for members of Scotty’s, their families and the Scotty Team to travel from various parts of the UK to London for the weekend.
Poppy Cabs transported our members within London to ensure they arrived at the Cenotaph parade in style. Thank you so much for providing such a professional service.
Thanks to Royal British Legion for supplying tickets for Festival of Remembrance and National Service of Remembrance.
Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity kindly contributed £1000 towards the cost of Remembrance Weekend for children and young people bereaved of Royal Navy and Royal Marine parents.
Thanks to The Army Central Fund for contributing £5000 towards meal vouchers so that families not attending Remembrance weekend can have an opportunity to go out for a meal with their family in honour of their loved one.
So far this year, Scotty’s has supported over 700 bereaved military children and young people, with a goal to be supporting over 1000 bereaved military children and young people annually by 2030. Scotty’s estimates that around 2,100 children each year are newly bereaved of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. Estimates draw on reliable national datasets including the 2021 Census, ONS datasets and MoD data.
