Over 250 military children and their families from all three armed services came together for a special military reconnection camp in Pirbright…
The camp was the seventh event for Little Troopers, the charity who organises the special weekend every year. Over the weekend the families got to take part in activities including woodland cookery, survival techniques, climbing wall and a party night.
The annual camp is an action-packed weekend, which encourages families to reconnect with one another after periods of separation, as well as meeting others who understand the unique challenges of military life.
Founder of Little Troopers, Louise Fetigan, said: “It was so brilliant to see families from all of our Forces come together. While there isn’t the obvious fear associated with deployment to a warzone at the moment, the time apart from family still has effects on both children and parents. This weekend helps to build special memories for them to treasure when they’re away.”
The Summer camp was made possible through the charity’s fundraising. Particular thanks go to the Officers Association who provided the funding for the party night and Sharla Jones who has organised a number of events and raffle prizes in order to raise funds for the camp.
Becky Chappell- King who attended the camp with her family said: “This weekend was hugely important to us as a family as camp has fallen just a few weeks prior to my husband going away for 5 months and this will be our youngest daughter’s first deployment experience.
“Until you’ve experienced first hand how much heartache a deployment can bring to a child you really cannot even begin to imagine how hard it is for the whole family. The memories we’ve made as a family while at summer camp this year will be hers to treasure throughout her daddy’s deployment.”
