Charity brings military teenagers ‘all together’ in Devon for forces club 

Military teenagers who have parents serving in the British Armed Forces were brought together in Devon this weekend by the charity Little Troopers.   

The residential break at Barton Hall, near Torquay, was part of the charity’s ‘All Together’ deployment club 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, axe throwing and other outdoor activities.  

Beth, aged 14, was one of the teens that attended the weekend and she comments: “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.” 

Louise, Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, said: “Growing up in the British Armed Forces community isn’t always easy, especially when your parent is away for long periods of time or you have to move home and school frequently. Our Little Troopers All Together project is all about bringing 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, as a way to say thank you. 

“We’ve had a fantastic weekend in Devon with a great group of teens who 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.” 

The Little Troopers All Together project has been made possible thanks to generous donations from the Veterans Foundation, the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund, the Henry Sale Foundation, Greenwich Hospital and HDH Wills. In addition to running teen residential weekends, the Little Troopers All Together project includes a series of online workshops for under 10s and adventure days out for 7–13-year-olds.  

Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting children who have parents serving in the British Armed Forces. The charity has a range of resources for both parents and schools to use with military children of all ages. Last year the charity launched a Therapy Programme, supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, which provides one-to-one bespoke therapy session and group sessions for military children in need of additional support. For more information visit www.littletroopers.net