Bringing military teenagers ‘all together’ in Devon

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Bringing military teenagers ‘all together’ in Devon

Last weekend we bought 14 teenagers ‘all together’ for a weekend in Devon. The teenagers all have parents who serve in the British Armed Forces.

The residential break at Barton Hall, near Torquay, was part of our ‘All Together’ deployment club. The club aims to support young people while their military parents are deployed overseas or due to deploy soon. Teenagers from all three services, Royal Navy, British Army and the Royal Air Force, travelled from across the county to take part.

Across the weekend, the teenagers bonded outdoors as they took part in climbing, zip wire, laser tag, and axe throwing.

Beth, aged 14, was one of the teens that attended the weekend and she commented: “My Dad’s in the Marines and I’ve come here with lots of other children who are similar to me. I’ve really enjoyed knowing that there are lots of other military children. It’s nice because you can share experiences and it’s nice to know you are not alone.”

Elsie, aged 16, added: “It’s been amazing. It’s been really nice to be with other people who have been though the same thing.”

Louise, founder of our charity said: “Growing up in the British Armed Forces community isn’t always easy. It’s especially hard when your parent is away for long periods of time or you move home and school frequently. Our ‘All Together’ project brings military children together so they can spend time with others who share similar life experiences. These residential breaks are our way of acknowledging that being a military child is a unique experience. We understand what they have been through and we think they deserve a special weekend that is all about them.”

“We’ve had a fantastic weekend in Devon with a great group of teens. Many of them had never met before but have left the best of friends. No doubt, lots of them will stay in touch and this is a weekend that they will remember forever.”