King's Lynn charity Scotty's Little Soldiers opens another holiday home for bereaved children
The West Norfolk based charity helps military families who've faced bereavement
A charity base din King's Lynn which helps bereaved children and young people from military families has just opened a new holiday home to help families.
Scotty's Little Soldiers, which was set up in 2010, has created a new 'lodge' at a holiday park in Devon.
It's the seventh location the charity runs across the county, allowing families a chance to get away.
The new location has been opened by the charity's founder Nikki Scott, along with the Palin family who've been supported by Scotty's since 2013.
Cpl Mark Palin was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011, aged 33. He left behind his wife Carla and son Lennon, who was just one at the time. Their daughter, Ruby, was born a few months after his death.
Lennon, who is now 13 years old, said: “To me, Scotty breaks mean having fun and enjoying yourself. Rather than being sat at home on the Xbox, we get to go out, do stuff and have a good time as a family.”
11-year-old Ruby said: “Scotty’s is really special. It’s got a special place in my heart. You know if there are other people here from Scotty’s, you can relate to them.”
Their mum Carla added: “The new lodge is amazing. You get to have some time away from life and school and work and just come away and be a family and make great memories together. That’s really important to me because Lennon and Ruby weren’t able to make any memories with their dad.”
Nikki said: “As soon as I saw the positive impact a holiday had on my family, I wanted to provide breaks for other bereaved Forces families. Including our new lodge at Devon Cliffs, Scotty’s now has seven holiday homes, which means more bereaved military families can have that much-needed break, spend some quality time together, have those really important conversations about their loved one and remember that it’s okay to smile.
"That’s what it’s all about.
“We are so grateful to Forces Support for their incredible generosity which enables us to make a difference to the lives of children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces.”
Scotty’s founder, Nikki, set up Scotty’s Little Soldiers in 2010 following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, in Afghanistan.