Today we remember the fallen, the heroes that never returned from their final tour. Today is Remembrance Sunday, but tomorrow we must remember them too.

Today we think of the loss that many families have to face, the child that will grow up without their mummy. The daddy that will never get to play football with his son, the daughter that will not have her father to walk her down the aisle, the little boy who will never get to hug his mum goodnight. Lest we forget.

 November is a month to remember, while also being the month of our Prince Harry’s birthday. And this year, to mark the occasion, while paying tribute to those children for who Remembrance is every day, we’re asking for a small donation, no matter how small, to help a charity that offers integral support to bereaved Forces children at a time when they need it the most.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity that supports children and young people who have lost a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. Founder, Nikki Scott, set up the charity after her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, was killed inaction in Afghanistan in 2009, leaving behind two young children - Kai was 5 and Brooke was just 7 months. 

Nikki witnessed first hand the effect the loss of a parent can have on a child. It was on a family holiday some 9 months after Lee’s death that Nikki saw her 5-year-old son Kai laugh and smile for the first time since his dad’s death. Nikki realised there must be so many more children who had also lost a parent who served in the British Armed Forces but hadn’t had that opportunity to smile again. She decided to set up the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers to do just that, to help their children smile. That was back in 2010 and since then Scotty’s has continued to grow and the support available to the children has developed. So far this year, Scotty’s has supported 449 children across the UK.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers does lots of things to support its members, including providing access to the very best health and wellbeing care, offering educational support, and delivering outstanding development opportunities through a range of activity and educational grants. Scotty’s also helps put smiles back on those brave faces by providing respite breaks, posting the children birthday and Christmas presents and remembering the anniversary of their parent’s death, as well as arranging events where bereaved Forces children from all over the UK come together to have a great time and form friendships with kids in the same situation.

On Wednesday we were exceptionally honoured to spend time with some of the incredible team from RAF Odiham Chinook Force. The RAF Chinooks have seen extensive service in the Falklands War, the Balkans, Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Amazing aircraft flown and operated by heroes

Carrying troops, fuel, munitions, vehicles and even used for operating theatres whilst flying back to base, today we remember the ones that these guys brought home, the ones who will never see red poppies grow, the ones that their children will never get to embrace.