April Newsletter

Spring has Sprung!

Over the past two months we have been celebrating children and young people (C&YP) with caring responsibilities and those from Armed Forces Families as we marked Young Carers Action Day along with Month of the Military Child. With that in mind, we’d love to draw your attention to The Children’s Society’s The Nexus Project.

Nexus is a three-year project funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust. The project aims to improve support, resources and access to services for young carers within Armed Forces Families.

Caring at a young age can impact a child’s wellbeing, health, education, and free time. These issues are exacerbated for young carers within Armed Forces Families due to parent deployments, frequent house moves and living in secure military housing.

Nexus aims to work with professionals from Armed Forces support services, young carers services, schools, the NHS and others to drive change by:

  • empowering young people to explore their lived experiences
  • building specialist service networks
  • advising on systems change
  • campaigning alongside young carers
  • equipping and training professionals.

They can also help young carers understand their rights, introduce them to other young carers and advise on different ways into education and employment. For more information please click here

MotMC:

We have celebrated the Month of the Military Child in a variety of ways, including working in partnership with Aggies and Pompey Military Kids to secure a community planter space in the recently revamped gardens of Victoria Park, Portsmouth. With the help of award winning garden designer and mental health advocate, Leigh Johnstone aka The @beardygardener the children and young people (C&YP) worked hard to design and ‘plant up’ the space. This will be an ongoing project, with the C&YP regularly updating the space with seasonal decorations and maintaining the plants.

We were delighted to fund Never Such Innocence to deliver school workshops across the UK that encouraged and amplified the voices of Service children. Never Such Innocence have a team of creative practitioners who visited schools in Wales, Preston, Scotland and the Southwest to hold workshops in poetry, art, speech and songwriting. The workshops provided young people with the creative tools to express their feelings and produce powerful pieces of work around the theme of conflict and Service life.

The workshops were not just for military children, they were a great way for all children to learn about what military life looks like for their classmates and peers.

Bicentenary:

We would like to say a massive thank you to Andy Jackson MBE and his partner Helen who very generously turned Andy’s 80th birthday party into a fundraising event for The Naval Children’s Charity. Held at The Ex-Serviceman’s Club in Havant, Andy and Helen raised an amazing amount for us, and we are so incredibly grateful. Thank you both so very much, you are officially inducted into our NCC200 Bicentenary ‘Wall of Fame’.

As part of our bicentenary celebrations, we are delighted to present our brand new range of limited edition ‘NCC 200’ merchandise. If you would like to have a look at our fantastic array you can see all the options available here.

Resources:

We pride ourselves on the wide range and selection of resources we offer our Naval children, from our ‘Doing Distance’ online worksheets, to our ‘Time Penguin’ and ‘Time Rabbit’ books with their knitted companions.

We are about to launch our new range of Wellbeing Packs, in partnership with The Naval Families Federation as a follow on to our Books for All offer. Keep your eyes on our social media channels for the launch of the new and improved offer!

Work Experience Opportunities:

Whatever your young person is considering for the future, work experience is always a valuable addition to any CV! 

However, we know work experience can be hard to come by, or fit around existing studies, which is why we’ve teamed up with Springpod to offer young people aged 13+ a whole host of free, online work experience opportunities. The platform also hosts lots of helpful videos about apprenticeships, T-levels and other qualification routes.

 

Young people can register for FREE by heading to Sign Up | Springpod

 

Please input The Naval Children’s Charity as the School/College when registering.

NCC Vice President, Lt General Ed Davis CB CBE, confirmed as next Black Rod.

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to announce that our Vice President, Lt General Ed Davis CB CBE, has been confirmed as the next Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, formally taking up the role this summer.

Ed is currently the Strategic Director for Capewell Europe Limited and Gibraltar Chair of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council.

After serving for 35 years in the Naval Service as a Royal Marines Officer, Ed retired from the UK Armed Forces in the rank of Lieutenant General, he then transferred to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as the 67th Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar in January 2016. He completed his tenure as Gibraltar’s Governor in 2020. 

Commenting on his new appointment as the next Black Rod, Ed Davis has said:

‘I am profoundly humbled and extremely delighted to have been appointed by His Majesty to be the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod for the House of Lords, a role that stretches back 670 years.

I take on this great honour with a deep sense of responsibility to serve the King and the House of Lords with a steadfast commitment and unwavering determination to uphold the excellence of my predecessors who have held this unique and remarkable position.

Together with Black Rod’s team, I look forward, with relish and excitement, to rising to the opportunities and challenges ahead by building on Sarah Clarke’s inspiring legacy.’

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to announce that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has accepted the role of Patron

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to announce that HRH The Princess Royal is to become our new Patron, following on from many years of Royal Patronage from her mother, Her Majesty The late Queen, who was our Patron for over 70 years.  As we celebrate our Bicentenary, 200 years of supporting Naval children, Patronage of The Princess Royal is of particular significance. 

Her Royal Highness has a long history of supporting military families and promoting the well-being of children. The Princess Royal’s Patronage of The Naval Children’s Charity will bring significant attention to the Charity’s vital work and help to ensure that children of Naval personnel receive the support they need to thrive.

CEO of The Naval Children’s Charity, Clare Scherer said:

On behalf of all at the Naval Children’s Charity we offer our warmest thanks to HRH for agreeing to become our Patron.  The Princess has shown great interest, over the years, into the wellbeing of our families and Her Royal Highness’s commitment to the Charities that she serves is outstanding.  We look forward to introducing The Princess Royal to our team and our children and young people so that they can tell their stories to Her Royal Highness directly.

The Naval Children’s Charity has been helping Naval children for 200 years, this includes serving personnel and veterans of the Naval Service (Royal Navy, Royal Marines, QARNNS, WRNS, Reserves or Royal Fleet Auxiliary). The Princess Royal’s Patronage is a great endorsement of our work helping to make a lasting difference in our children and young people’s lives.

February Newsletter

Dates for your diaries...

As our thoughts turn to spring I’d like to highlight some poignant dates on the horizon.

On March 12th it is Young Carers Action Day and this year’s theme is “Give Me A Break”, focusing on the importance of rest and respite for young carers. Young carers carry a heavy burden of responsibility, leaving them with minimal time for themselves and placing them at a high risk of burnout. It is essential for them to take a break. Research shows that young carers are substantially more likely to experience severe psychological distress compared to their peers who do not have caregiving duties. They require time away from their caregiving roles to rest, rejuvenate, and prioritise their own needs, whether that involves pursuing a hobby or simply enjoying time with friends, just like others their age. If you know a young carer that could benefit from such respite, please do keep checking our ‘Life Chances’ page which will soon have a wide range of different opportunities available, to help our young carers enjoy the break they need in 2025.

And the support doesn’t end there for our Naval young carers, The Nexus Project aims to improve support, resources and access to services for young carers within Armed Forces families specifically. They recognise that issues can be exacerbated due to parent deployments, frequent house moves and living in secure military housing. The Nexus Project works with professionals from Armed Forces support services, young carers services, schools, the NHS, and others to drive change. For more information click here.

Now, imagine a week where we celebrate all the different ways people’s brains can work! That’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which will be celebrated from March 17th. This week aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, organisations, and others with the opportunity to recognise the many skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual. Keep your eyes on our website and social media channels to find out more.  If you have a neurodivergent child, then please do contact us to see how we can help you.  There is so much information out there it can be a bit overwhelming and talking it through with one of our team just might find something that can support you, your neurodivergent child and any other children in the family, particularly if you are also struggling with separation through deployment or weekending. We are just a phone call or email away 023 9263 9534 caseworkers@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk

Our bicentenary celebrations are in full swing, and we can’t help but be reminded of our beginnings. We would be delighted to connect with anyone who, in the past, received support in one of our Children’s Homes. If you or a family member spent time with us, we invite you to reach out and share your experience.
If you were lucky enough to have received one of our free Craft Kits, please do get pictures of your ‘Birthday Creations’ into us ahead of the closing date on 14th March. The judging of this competition will be undertaken by members of our Youth Council, and already we don’t envy their job as we have had some incredible entries sent in. Remember, the design could be a birthday card, a collage representing an event from our history or even their own life as a Naval child. With a £200 Merlin voucher up for grabs for the 1st place, don’t miss your chance to win!

Is someone in your household considering University?
Thinking about university… whether or not to go, the financial implications, which course to study, and where – we know there’s a lot for families to consider and young people often have lots of questions. Which is why we’ve teamed up with The Brilliant Club!
Across June & July of this year, The Brilliant Club will be hosting 7 online sessions for Naval young people. Current students will be telling us what university & their subject areas are like, whilst higher education experts will be talking us through topics such as UCAS applications and academic skills.
To make the most of these sessions, we’d like to let them know about topics or questions that our young people would particularly like support with. So, if someone in your house is considering university, please take a minute to pop your thoughts and questions here.

Best wishes,

Clare Scherer MBE
Chief Executive Officer, Naval Children’s Charity

Living in Helensburgh – A guide for Young People

This leaflet was created in order to provide young people living in Helensburgh with a guide to their area. Suggestions for this content were gathered from pupils at Hermitage Academy, Helensburgh’s Forces and Me Club and those who attended their Armed Forces Day event.

Christmas Pottery Workshops

We have two FREE Christmas Pottery Workshops coming up...

  • Sat 30th Nov, 10am-midday (ages 6-15) with Fat Clay Pottery in Southsea
  • Sat 7th Dec, 10:30am-12:30pm (ages 8-15) with Poppins Potter in Torquay.

The sessions will give children the chance to get hands on with pottery, be creative and make their own seasonal masterpiece! 

Sessions are run by qualified and experienced instructors who can support the children with their creative processes.

Book your space now

 
 

BREAKING NEWS – for Royal Naval families

In light of the recent decision by the new Government to implement VAT on school fee starting January 2025, we understand that this may create unexpected financial strain for some of our families. To assist those affected, we the Naval Children’s Charity, in partnership with Greenwich Hospital, have established a hardship fund to provide financial support to eligible families.

To be eligible, at least one parent must still be serving, and the child/children must be at a critical stage of their education or have additional needs. Please note that families receiving CEA will not be eligible to apply for this fund.

To confirm your eligibility, you will find a short form here, which will need to be completed. Once you have successfully completed this form, you will be able to download the full application form.

The completed application form, along with the required supporting documents, must be submitted to us by Friday 13th December. Unfortunately, applications that are incomplete or submitted past this deadline will not be considered.

For full details, please click here.

PGL’s multi-activity camp

Time for an adventure at a three night multi-activity camp with PGL!

We have 5 fully funded places available at PGL’s multi-activity camp this October half term. The 3 night DISCOVER! Adventure offers young people an opportunity to experience a whole range of new activities, make new friends and build their confidence and social skills. The camp will take place at Marchant’s Hill, Surrey where activities on offer may include Archery, Climbing, Forest walks, Orienteering, Raft Building, Zip wire and many more!

The dates are Saturday 26th – Tuesday 29th October and the camp is for 11-13 year olds.

This residential camp is all-inclusive, so all activities, food, drink and accommodation are covered. Support with transport costs will also be available for those that need it.

Register your interest here.

Winter Warmth Network

Looking for quick and easy support to help with your energy bills this winter?

Lightning Reach is a free, secure online portal that helps you find and apply for financial assistance – all in one place. Whether you need help covering rising energy costs, making your home more energy-efficient, or affording winter essentials, Lightning Reach is here to connect you with the support you need.

Lightning Reach matches users to over 2,500 schemes from charities, organisations, and councils across the UK, with successful applicants receiving £1,070 on average*.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Fill out a simple profile: In just 10-15 minutes, answer a few questions on the website, and Lightning Reach will generate a personalised list of financial support options available to you.  This includes targeted help with energy bills, home improvements to boost energy efficiency, warm clothing, and essential winter supplies.
  2. Apply for support: Apply directly through the portal to multiple programs without having to repeatedly enter your information. From grants to local council funding, you’ll find everything in one place.
  3. Get support quickly: Lightning Reach streamlines the process, gathering all the information needed for organisations to assess your application, so you can receive help faster.

Lightning Reach uses modern, secure technology to protect your information, ensuring your details and documents are kept safe.

Sign up for Lightning Reach today to see how much you could save on your energy bills this winter.

Visit Lightning Reach at https://www.lightningreach.org/application-portal