Scotty’s Little Soldiers take part in Remembrance Sunday March
Scotty’s Little Soldiers take part in Remembrance Sunday March.
18 bereaved children took part in the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph March Past in London, honouring parents who served our country.
The children were there with Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the charity that supports children of the fallen.
The national event was attended by service men and women, veterans, members of the royal family including Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as our Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other high-profile politicians.
The Scotty children, along with their widowed parents and Scotty’s Little Soldiers founder Nikki Scott, marched in yellow and black stripy scarves, showing they were all united. The children generated a lot of attention and were seen on BBC One as well as other news reports.
Founded by war widow Nikki Scott, Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a national charity which provides support to hundreds of children across the UK who have lost a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. The charity was set up in memory of Nikki’s husband and father to her two children, Corporal Lee Scott, after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.
After the Remembrance Parade, the children were given a tour of the House of Commons, and then visited Downing Street, where they were photographed on the steps of Number 10.
Nikki Scott said: “It was an emotional day for the children who were all there remembering a lost parent who is dearly missed, but it was a huge honour for them to be part of such a special day. The Scotty members all feel part of a community and being there together meant a lot to them. We all wore yellow and black scarves – the colours of Lee’s regiment – to show we are all united.”
Nikki continued: “We wanted to give the children a special treat after the Cenotaph March so we arranged for the kids to have a tour of the House of Commons followed by a trip to Downing Street for a photograph outside Number 10, making it an unforgettable day.”
Kate Darbyshire, mum to Ryan (15) and Callum (13) whose father Sergeant Steven Darbyshire was shot in Afghanistan in 2010, said: “It’s an absolute honour and privilege to have walked and been part of the service of Remembrance in London with Scotty’s Little Soldiers. Emotional, proud, overwhelming, happy – a total rollercoaster of emotions, but an experience we will never forget, followed by a visit to the House of Commons and Downing Street. Thank you to Nikki Scott for giving us this opportunity.”
Scotty’s Little Soldiers was founded in 2010 and currently supports 397 bereaved Forces children across the UK, offering integral support when they need it the most.
Scotty’s does lots of things to support the children of the fallen, including sending them on holidays, organising special experiences, posting them birthday and Christmas presents and remembering the anniversary of their parent’s death. The charity also provides personal development assistance for the children through educational grants and access to professional bereavement counselling, as well as arranging events where bereaved forces children from all over the country come together to have a great time and form friendships with kids in the same situation.
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.
Support Scotty's Little Soldiers' Family Programmes with a regular monthly donation
