3-year-old Arwen Smith from Winchester has been awarded a Little Trooper of the Month medal for courage and kindness. Arwen, whose dad serves in the British Army, is undergoing tests for epilepsy and has offered comfort beyond her years to her mum who has been battling a serious illness.

Arwen is only three years old, yet she’s already shown she has courage and the heart of a Little Trooper. While most children her age are beginning to explore the world, Arwen has faced challenges that would overwhelm many adults.
Throughout her own medical tests and her mum’s treatments and multiple surgeries, Arwen has shown a tenderness and quiet strength. She has helped to carry her family through some of its darkest moments.
In addition to the health challenges, Arwen has also had to contend with the challenges of being a military child. She has already moved home three times, including a significant uprooting from Lincolnshire to Hampshire. She has welcomed every new place with courage and an astonishing ability to adapt.Now, the family and Arwen face another emotional mountain as her daddy deploys from December until April.

Mum, Catherine Smith, said, “Arwen has endured more in three years than many face in a lifetime, but what makes her extraordinary is how she rises above it all with a spirit that refuses to dim. She is strong, brave, gentle and astonishing.”

Catherine adds, “I’m so happy that Arwen has been recognised by Little Troopers. She deserves a moment that is entirely hers, something she can hold with pride, a reminder of just how incredible she truly is.”

Louise, Founder of the charity Little Troopers, said, “Arwen has shown some incredible courage and given such love and kindness to her family, through some really tough times. We are so proud of her and so happy that we can make her our Little Trooper of the Month. She truly deserves a medal, one that she can show her daddy when he gets home.”

Arwen has received her own special Little Troopers medal, certificate and £100 Hobbycraft vouchers which she has decided to donate to her nursery which encompasses Arwens generous nature and heart.