Over 100 local military children joined a free mindfulness workshop this week to discuss the unique challenges posed by having parents in the Armed Forces.

Military children from Weeton Primary School in Preston participated in a workshop run by Little Troopers.

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Those with parents serving in the British Armed Forces tuned into a two-hour virtual session presented by TV broadcasters Katie Thistleton and Frankie Vu.

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Louise Fetigan, the founder of Little Troopers, said: “As the school holidays approach, many military families will be coping with deployment or preparing to move home.

“We thought this was the ideal time for schools to bring together their service children to give them some tools to help them through and celebrate what it means to be a ‘little trooper’. 

“By running a virtual workshop, our small charity can reach and benefit as many service children as possible and make them feel part of this special network of military children across our Armed Forces community.” 

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Through games, drawings and other fun activities, the children discussed the challenges of military life, such as having a parent deployed or moving home and school.

The theme was ‘well-being and mindfulness’, and the children learned ways to explore and communicate their emotions when navigating change, including mindfulness techniques.

All workshop activities were from the dedicated Little Troopers at School programme, created by education experts to offer schools easily accessible resources to support military children in the classroom.

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ABF The Soldier’s Charity, The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, The Armed Forces Education Trust and The Grocers Charity funded The Little Troopers Primary School workshop.

Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting all children who have a parent or parents serving in the British Armed Forces.

Little Troopers has free resources and initiatives to support children at home, such as the Little Troopers All Together deployment club and the ‘Little Troopers Treasures’ story recording app.

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The app enables military parents to read to their children while serving away from home.

For more information, visit – www.littletroopers.net  

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What are your thoughts on the initiative? Let us know in the comments below.