Here we are in June 2020 and what a roller coaster of a year it has been for everyone so far. I hope you are all doing OK since I last wrote.

This Armed Forces Day I wanted to celebrate every single person in the military community who is achieving so much, juggling alllll the things and making it through each and every single day. That right there really is something to celebrate!

I love talking about celebration and the military community because so many outsiders can look in and see this life as a negative, and yes there can be down sides but there are great positives too. Did you know that the three values of the Little Troopers charity are INCLUSION : RECOGNITION : CELEBRATION It’s important to me that celebrating you, us, our children and our community are a core part of the charity.

COVID-19 has brought many challenges to everyone’s life but for many it added an additional complex layer to a life that already had difficult hurdles. Deployments were extended indefinitely and many postings and therefore house moves were changed at the last minute or cancelled and of course it also meant that most of us were at home 24/7 with all schools closed and many also trying to work from home.

Yet here we are 13 weeks or so on, still showing up to each day and doing our very best.

On a personal level we were due posting this summer. Our two years always speeds by and here it is again. The posting my husband got is luckily so close we can stay in our military quarter which means no packing boxes and no moving house which I am so grateful for.

Lock down for me has given the gift of time; to be at home and concentrate on a few projects that I really wanted to bring to fruition without distraction and I’ve achieved two of them!

We recently launched the enhanced birthday scheme for a limited time which sees military children receive a special card with a personal message – often from a deployed parent and they will now also receive a party pack with a banner, balloons, badge and some cake flags. This is a free scheme for British Armed Forces families and you can sign your Little Troopers up here

Secondly Little Troopers Letters launches this Armed Forces Day which is a really special initiative to help military children stay in touch with their friends when they move on from military postings. Writing letters is always rewarding and receiving post is even more fun! Families will be able to apply for a pack via the website for their child in the six weeks leading up to a move and there are two letter packs included, one for your Little Trooper and one to give to a friend they are saying goodbye to and would like to stay in touch with.

These are real achievements for me and I’m so hoping they help lots of military children.

This Armed Forces Day make sure you celebrate what we are a part of. Celebrate your achievements this 2020 – be that wading through a global pandemic, home schooling, navigating a deployment, dealing with a cancelled house move…..we have all achieved great things.

I hope more settled times and lots of sunshine is on the horizon for us all.

Lots of love, Louise xxxx