‘Group of children photographed with Little Troopers Founder, Louise’.
In January, the organisation revealed they were launching a series of four fully-funded family reconnection weekends for forces families to spend quality time together outdoors, funded by Team Forces.
The weekend was the second one to take place, with eight families taking part in action-packed activities at the New Forest Outdoor Centre in Lyndhurst, Dorset.
Families arrived on Friday (13th June), kicking off the weekend by taking part in an evening woodland nature walk, before staying in shepherd’s huts.
On the second day, families got to try out raft building and racing on Leominstead Lake, followed by archery and bushcraft, a BBQ cooked by the parents, and campfire games for the children in the evening. Families headed home on Sunday 15th June after a morning of trying out high and low ropes amongst the trees and enjoying some Father’s Day treats.
Stuart More, serving in the Royal Navy based in Portsmouth, attended with his daughter. He said: “My favourite thing from the reconnection weekend was the family time. Military families have come together as one, played different types of games, and interacted with each other with no use of technology, which is brilliant. It’s brought us all back to nature and it’s been really rewarding to be part of it.”Natasha Lowe, from Gosport, attended with her two teenage children, Joseph, 13, and Saffron, 11. She said: “It’s been fantastic to come with my children, no devices, and actually spend some time together. The raft building we all got stuck in and enjoyed. Meeting the other parents and realising that often you are all in the same boat, it has felt like a real military community and all the kids have got on great. We learned new skills like fire lighting which we’d never done before, pushed ourselves and came out our comfort zone. We’ve enjoyed it very much.”
Penelope Ball, 10, is part of a Royal Navy family. Penelope said: “I’ve liked meeting new military people because the know how you feel when your parents are away and so it’s nice to play with other people who know how you feel.”
Louise Fetigan, Founder of Little Troopers, said: “Our new ‘All Together’ family reconnection weekends are aimed at families before, during or after a period of separation or deployment, to help ease periods of separation and help children to connect with their parents and make new friends. Our New Forest weekend went brilliantly. It was so lovely to see families getting stuck in with all the activities and it was a real joy to see everyone laughing and enjoying some special time together out in nature.”
The Little Troopers weekends invite between eight and ten families, with one or both parents and up to four siblings aged nine to 16, to go away for an exciting few days of outdoor adventure and connection, where they are encouraged to put down their phones, meet new people and make memories. Each weekend runs from Friday to Sunday at no cost to the families.
The dates and locations for the next two Little Troopers All Together reconnection weekends in 2025 are:
· Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July, Brenscombe, Wareham, Dorset.
· Friday 26th September to Sunday 28th September, Portland, Dorset.
The events form part of the charity’s broader ‘All Together’ programme which brings together young people from across the military community to benefit from spending time with others who have shared similar life experiences. For more information about Little Troopers All Together and to learn more about the charity’s work supporting military children, visit www.littletroopers.net