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Naval Children’s Charity won the Armed Forces Family Support Charity of the Year 2025

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to announce that they have won the Armed Forces Family Support Charity of the Year 2025 – Portsmouth in the SME Southern Enterprise Awards.  Over the years, SME News’ team have kept their ears to the ground to stay updated with news from the best of the best – whether they’re longstanding successful businesses or those in their infancy with a promising future ahead. The team ensures that only the most deserving companies and individuals are showcased in the prestigious winners list and magazine year upon year. For eight years now, the Southern Enterprise Awards has been recognising utmost excellence across the innovative region.


Including the success stories of animal sanctuaries to financial consultancies, mental health playlists to commercial removals, wealth planning and investment management to independent rock music productions, and so very much more, this year’s awards programme features another hugely diverse collection of accolade-worthy enterprises and individuals.


Awards Coordinator Kaven Cooper enthused: “Recognising and awarding such a fine variety of businesses in our Southern Enterprise Awards 2025 has been a fantastic journey for me, and for all of us at SME News. Every year we aim to discover and reward businesses which are setting the pace for their industries. I want to wish a sincere congratulations to our winners as they are featured in 2025’s winners list and magazine.”


To find out more about these prestigious awards, and the magnificent enterprises that have been selected for them, please visit smenews where you can view the winners supplement and full winners list.


CEO of The Naval Children’s Charity, Clare Scherer MBE said:
On behalf of all at the Naval Children’s Charity we offer our warmest thanks to SME Southern Enterprise.  As we celebrate our 200th Anniversary this Award recognises the impact we have on thousands of children annually around the UK.  Whether we are supporting their wellbeing in times of crisis or providing life changing opportunities to improve their development The Naval Children’s Charity bring compassion, empathy and expertise to helping our children and young people thrive. 


The photo shows the CEO, members of our Youth Council and our MP for Portsmouth North, Amanda Martin

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Visit by Patron HRH The Princess Royal

The Naval Children’s Charity were delighted to receive a visit from their Royal Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, to their offices in Portsmouth on Wednesday 24th September 2025.

 

The Princess Royal became Royal Patron of The Naval Children’s Charity in March 2025, following many years of Royal Patronage by her mother, Her Majesty the late Queen, who was Royal 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 was welcomed by Christopher Tite, Chair, and Clare Scherer MBE, CEO, and met with Staff, Trustees, volunteers and beneficiaries of the Charity.  The work of the Charity was explained to her in depth, and she particularly enjoyed hearing the stories from members of our Youth Council about their experiences of receiving support from the Charity and their lives as Naval children.

Her Royal Highness unveiled a Plaque commemorating her visit in the Charity’s Bicentenary year and met members of the Youth Council.

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 highlights the Charity’s vital work and helps to ensure that children of Naval personnel receive the support they need to thrive.

 

CEO of The Naval Children’s Charity, Clare Scherer MBE said:
“On behalf of all at the Naval Children’s Charity we offer our warmest thanks to Her Royal Highness for agreeing to be our Royal Patron and for her visit to learn more about our work.  The Princess Royal has taken great interest, over the years, in the wellbeing of our families and Her Royal Highness’s commitment to the charities that she serves is outstanding.
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July 2025 newsletter

With Summer in full swing and the school holidays upon us, we have lots of exciting news to share! We are thrilled to announce the re-launch of our website and hope that you will enjoy a fresh more user-friendly and accessible experience.

Our website is the best ‘port of call’ (pun intended!) for anyone seeking help or wishing to volunteer or donate to The Naval Children’s Charity. We have a range of free resources available to help support Naval children and their families.
 
Wellbeing Packs
Which brings us on to some exciting news. We have teamed up with the Naval Families Federation to offer Wellbeing Packs for Naval children and young people as well as their parents and carers. We are now offering each family member a ‘pack’ of resources that can be tailored to them. No matter your age or circumstances, we’ve got something for you – including some of our very own creations!

Please check out our website to learn more and request a pack

University Education Bursary Scheme
Applications for the University Education Bursary Award Scheme 2025 – 2026 are now open!

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to launch our new University Education Bursary Award Scheme in collaboration with the JS Group through their innovative Aspire platform.

Closing date for applications is 31st October 2025.
Please visit our website to Learn more  about the scheme and how to apply

 
Barnstaple Sea Cadets
In other news, Barnstaple Sea Cadets are recruiting! Sea Cadets offers young people a different kind of adventure, from catering to rowing and paddleboarding to adventure training.

If you are looking for a rewarding way to give back to the community then perhaps you would like to join their team as an adult volunteer? They are currently looking for Instructors and Trustees.

To find out more contact Barnstaple Sea Cadets today:
E: seacadetsbarnstaple@gmail.com 
Facebook: /barnstaplescc sea-cadets.org/barnstaple
 
The Military Connected Children and Young People (MCCYP) Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Surveys is now live!
Our wonderful Youth Council have contributed to the co-production of this survey and as we at the Naval Children’s Charity love a survey, we would like to share this exciting opportunity for children and young people aged 8-18, with a parent serving in the Armed Forces, to take part.

These short surveys (10-15 minutes) will help gather vital insights into their lived experiences within social frameworks that impact health – such as education, housing, community, and access to services. This work will help ensure Naval children and young people’s voices are heard and help shape how we understand and respond to their needs.

Each age group has a dedicated QR code to access their survey below:
 

We would like to thank you again for your continued support and wish you all a wonderful Summer!

All the best,

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Bicentenary Presentations

Well, what a few weeks it has been.  We have travelled around the UK, holding three events to celebrate our Bicentenary in Portsmouth, Helensburgh and Plymouth.  If you joined us at one of those, thank you so much. 

Our thanks to our wonderful sponsors, Sirius Analysis Ltd.  We are so grateful for their support for the NCC over the past few years and additional support sponsoring the Bicentennial Presentations. Thank you too, to our hosts in each of the three venues and the fantastic way we were looked after. 

The highlight for us was the involvement of our wonderful Youth Council.  They worked really hard on their part of the presentation, telling everyone about the outstanding work they have done with us to help develop our Life Chances Programme, as well as participating in National research to help everyone understand the lived experience of being a Naval/Armed Forces child/young person.  Particular thanks to Coby, Clarice, Helana, Rhiana and Tallulah as well as the rest that were unable to join us in person. 

We had some wonderful attendees – too many to mention individually, although I will just pick up on our wonderful new Patron – Dame Kristin Scott Thomas who was able to join us in person at our Portsmouth event and would particularly like to mention how lovely it was to see Monique Bateman MBE and her husband Cdre David Smith CBE.  As the key architects in turning our orphanages into the charity we are today they are probably the most important part of our history and on behalf of all our beneficiaries, past, present and future, we thank them particularly. 

Thanks also go to our new Royal Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, who sent us the warmest letter of support as we celebrated. 

We took those who joined us on a whistlestop tour of how we help our families, children and young people today.  Please visit our refreshed website to find out more or contact us directly. 

If you think you would like to support us – volunteering, donating or in any way you can think of, please do get in touch.  We need your help to ensure we are reaching as many of our families as possible. 

Finally, here are some pictures from the various events, which I hope capture the flavour of what we did. 

Bicentenary Merchandise

As you may have seen at the presentations we have a wonderful range of commemorative merchandise for sale. If you fancy baking in style, then we have just the aprons! Orders can be placed via our website. Follow this link and please do take a look at what we have available.

All the best,

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The Naval Children’s Charity partners with JS Group to enhance financial support for young people from Naval families

The Naval Children’s Charity is proud to announce a new partnership with JS Group, bringing transformative change to how we deliver financial support to young people from Royal Navy, Royal Marines, their Reserves, WRNS, QAARNS and Royal Fleet Auxiliary families.

 

Through this collaboration, we will use JS Group’s award-winning Aspire platform to streamline and enhance the way we provide assistance – ensuring faster, more secure, and more impactful delivery of funding to those who need it most.

 

For over two centuries, we’ve supported the children of Naval families, adapting to meet their changing needs. This partnership is the next step in that journey – combining our heritage and understanding of military family life with cutting-edge technology that makes a real difference.

“We are excited to be able to offer wider support to our young people who are entering Higher Education. We know they can face additional challenges, and we’re delighted to be supporting them in this way. Education is one of the fundamental building blocks of life, and helping our young people access university is one of the most important things we can do – not just for them, but for future generations.”

Clare Scherer MBE, Chief Executive of The Naval Children’s Charity

“This is a landmark moment for JS Group. Our partnership with The Naval Children’s Charity represents our first step into the charity sector and showcases the versatility of Aspire to transform financial support across a range of contexts. We’re proud to play a part in supporting such an important mission.”

Peter Gray, Chairman and CEO of JS Group

This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to the wellbeing, education, and future success of children and young people from Naval families.

 

Together with JS Group, we are making it easier to access the support they deserve – and helping them thrive in education and beyond.

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University Bursary Scheme

University Education Bursary Award Scheme

Applications for the University Education Bursary Award Scheme 2025 – 2026 are now open!

 

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to launch our new University Education Bursary Award Scheme in collaboration with the JS Group through their innovative Aspire platform.

The Bursary scheme has three parts to it:​

Resource Award

For year 1 of study only, to be spent on equipment/resources for your course.

Cost of Learning Award

Annual bursary to be spent primarily on helping with the cost of rent/groceries/utilities.

Living Away From Home Award

Annual bursary if you are living away from home in student accommodation.

If you fit the following criteria you can apply for a University Education Bursary today!
  • You are the child/dependant of someone who is either a Serving or Veteran of the Royal Navy and 25 years or under (includes Royal Navy, Royal Marines, QARNNS, WRNS, Reserves and Royal Fleet Auxiliary)
  • Your annual household income for family < £70,000
  • You are starting or currently studying for an Undergraduate First Degree only NOT Masters/PhD/degree apprenticeships
  • We understand that every family is unique and will consider specific family circumstances when making awards. If you feel that you fall outside the financial criteria but have extenuating circumstances, please fill out an application form telling us what those are.

You will be asked to fill in an application form and provide the following information to accompany your application:

 

• Payslip/s of parents/guardians showing wages/salary
• Paperwork for all other income (bank statements are acceptable)
• Confirmation from University of offer of place
• Confirmation of Student tuition/maintenance loans
• Verification of service of parent/guardian (if not showing on recent payslip)

 

Please ensure that you have read our data protection policy (which can be found on the website at the bottom of the page) and agree to us processing your data.

Conditions of Award​

If you are successful in receiving an Award, you will need to comply with the following grant conditions:

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All applicants over 18 years of age must have a bank account in their own name. No parent or family member bank details will be accepted. Your Award will be administered through the Aspire portal and, if successful, you will be sent details on this.
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In February 2026 we will email you a progress report form. You will need to have this completed by your tutor/course leader and return it to us. Failure to submit this progress report may result in your grant being suspended from March 2026.
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If you leave your course for any reason you must get in touch with us as soon as possible.
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In summer 2026 you will need to send us a copy of your final grades. Failure to send your grades may affect your eligibility for future grants from the University Bursary Award scheme.
Closing date for applications: 31st October 2025

Due to high volumes of applicants, no incomplete or late applications will be considered.

We will inform all applicants of our decision by 14th November 2025.

You can access the application form here:

Application Form

If you have any questions please contact caseworkers@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk or ring 023 9263 9534

Clare Scherer MBE, Chief Executive of The Naval Children’s Charity commented:

The Naval Children’s Charity are excited to be able to offer wider support to our young people who are entering Higher Education. We know that they can face additional challenges with their education, so we are delighted to be supporting them in this way. Education is one of the fundamental building blocks of life and supporting our young people to access University in this way is one of the most important things we can do for them and future generations.
— Clare Scherer MBE, Chief Executive
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June 2025 newsletter

We have had some wonderful weather in parts of the UK in May and I do hope that those of you who got some time off over half term were able to enjoy it.

Are you a Naval young person planning to go to University this Autumn?

We are excited to be partnering with Aspire (part of the JS Group) to deliver a new way to support our Naval children during their time at university. Students in receipt of an Education bursary from The Naval Children’s Charity will be able to access Aspire’s student engagement portal. It will enable faster payments to our students with additional benefits such as useful budgeting tools and a streamlined application process. Aspire works with more than 30 universities across the UK with a long history of delivering and managing student bursaries.   To find out more about how to apply please email us caseworkers@navalchildrenscharity.org.uk and we can send you the forms and the criteria for applying.

Volunteer Week

This week is Volunteers’ Week, an annual UK-wide campaign launched in 1984 to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers. It provides a platform for organisations and communities to thank volunteers for their invaluable efforts. We would like to thank all our wonderful volunteers, who do so much to support and help raise awareness for The Naval Children’s Charity!
If you are considering embracing any sort of volunteering or fundraising this year, we would love you to bear us in mind. Any support offered be it helping at one of our events or in one of our offices for a few hours would be greatly beneficial to the Charity. There is always something to be done! Or, if you would like to fundraise in any sort of way, please do get in touch.  100% of every pound we are given goes towards supporting our Naval children.

Thomas Wells

With that in mind we would like to say a huge thank you to Thomas Wells who, along with his friends Jack and Sam, conquered the highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours. Thomas’ father served in the Royal Marines for 28 years and Thomas is very aware of the challenges families and children from military backgrounds face. We can’t thank you enough for your tremendous efforts – you are brilliant!

Bicentenary Merchandise

Did we mention it is our Bicentenary year? The Naval Children’s Charity has been, in some form or another, providing help to the children of Naval personnel for 200 years. To celebrate we have a wonderful range of commemorative merchandise for sale. If you fancy baking in style, then we have just the aprons! Orders can be placed via our website. We will also be selling items at events throughout the year. Follow this link and please do take a look at what we have available.

All the best,

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Greenwich Hospital, RNRMC Support Naval Children

Greenwich Hospital and Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity pledge £2.16 million to Support The Naval Children’s Charity Grants Programme over 3 Years.

The Naval Children’s Charity are delighted to announce a three-year joint funding pledge from Greenwich Hospital and Royal Navy Royal & Marines Charity (RNRMC), who have committed £720,000 per year for three years, totalling £2,160,000, to support their Benevolence Grants Programme. This funding will enhance the vital support provided to Royal Navy and Royal Marines families.

This essential funding will enable The Naval Children’s Charity to deliver direct financial support to any Naval family that may find themselves in a time of need or crisis.

CEO of The Naval Children’s Charity, Clare Scherer, shared her heartfelt appreciation:

“We are incredibly grateful to RNRMC and Greenwich Hospital for their generous commitment. This funding will allow us to continue providing essential support to Royal Navy and Royal Marines families, ensuring they have the resources they need during times of difficulty. It’s through partnerships like this that we can make a tangible difference in the lives of those who serve or have served.”

Director of Greenwich Hospital, Deirdre Mills, said

“Greenwich Hospital is pleased to collaborate with RNRMC in supporting the Naval Children’s Charity’s Benevolence Grants Programme. This funding ensures that serving and former Royal Navy and Royal Marines families facing hardship can access the financial support they need, when they need it most. By working together, we can make a critical difference to the lives of more children in the Royal Navy community.”

CEO of RNRMC, Andrew Jameson said

“We are delighted to work with Greenwich Hospital once again to support the Naval Children’s Charity with this important grant. Their work in supporting the children of Naval families is truly amazing, making a real difference in their lives. We have had a long and meaningful relationship with the Naval Children’s Charity, and we are pleased to continue standing alongside them in their vital work.”

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). With this funding pledge, this work can continue helping to make a lasting difference in children and young people’s lives.

To donate or find out more about the charity please visit their website: https://www.navalchildrenscharity.org.uk

 

About The Naval Children’s Charity

We help our Naval children wherever they are, across the UK and globally. Our headquarters is based in Portsmouth with outreach caseworkers based in Helensburgh and Plymouth. We have a wonderful Trustee Board who support us in what we do.

The first orphanage opened in 1825 and since then we have evolved to ensure we best meet the needs of our children and young people. We have recently formed a Youth Council of young people who are helping us to develop our strategy, putting their voice at the heart of what we do.

We help around 2000 children directly each year and many thousands more through our resources and work with communities and other organisations.

We believe that…to be the child of someone who is, or has been, in the Naval Service should be a positive and enhancing experience – something to be borne with pride. For those children where life is more difficult, we are there to help.

 

About Greenwich Hospital 

Greenwich Hospital is the single largest funder of individual, educational and welfare support to serving and former Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel and their families. We work to make a real and lasting difference in their lives during military service, during transition to civilian life and when they or their family need support. 

Founded by the Crown in 1694 to assist wounded, injured, and elderly Royal Navy sailors and their families, we have evolved to meet the changing needs of those who serve. Today, we fund grants, award educational and training bursaries and support charitable activities in areas ranging from education to housing, health and wellbeing, employability and crisis support. 

We work in partnership with the Royal Navy, military charities and other relevant organisations to meet the current and future needs of the Royal Navy community. We aim to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of those in our community who need it most. 

Total charitable spend: £6.26m (Sept 2023-Aug 2024) 

Find out more from our Impact Report: 
GH_impact_report_23-24_spreads.pdf 

 

About Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity 

Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity is the principal charity of the Royal Navy. We are at the heart of supporting our Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and their families, past, present and future.

Since 2007, we have funded projects and facilities that boost morale for those who serve today. 

We also distribute millions of pounds annually to organisations and charities which care for the children, families and veterans of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

RNRMC is proud to have HRH The Princess Royal as our Patron.  

For more information on Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, call 023 9387 1520 or visit www.rnrmc.org.uk.  

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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.

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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.’