A charity which supports hundreds of bereaved forces children and young people is set for major expansion.
Scotty's Little Soldiers was set up in 2010 by Nikki Scott, after her husband Cpl Lee Scott was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
She wanted to do more to support those left behind, like her two young children Kai and Brooke, who were aged just five and seven months when they lost their father.
King's Lynn-based Scotty's needs to double in size by 2030 to meet demand for its services. It currently has 17 team members working from its HQ in North Lynn.
It plans to move premises next year, remaining in west Norfolk, and recruit key staff including a management accountant, data and IT manager, content writer and a Facebook fundraiser. It will also be launching an internship programme.
Founder Ms Scott said: "There are still so many unsupported bereaved children and young people from forces families out there who could benefit from our work. We really need to maintain the growth of Scotty’s if we are going to be able to help them in the years to come when needed.”
Scotty’s chief executive Stuart Robinson said: “We set out to create the charity that we’d want to support ourselves and one which west Norfolk can be proud to call its own.
"It can be challenging when recruiting as charities aren’t always considered as a career option by many, but we have a wide range of really interesting roles and we’re building a great environment and culture here.
"The office move will be a big part of that, creating a really collaborative and fun workspace."
Scotty’s has drawn on inspiration from other fast-growing organisations such as Gymshark, Airbnb, Deliveroo, and Patagonia.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers has also made use of recent trends in the use of technology to start providing direct bereavement support to young people across the UK and beyond .
Ms Scott said: "That has meant that we are now able to provide really bespoke support to children who can be hundreds of miles away. We’ve even provided support to children from British Forces families now living in Australia.”
For more about Scotty's growth plans, go to www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/jobs.
Story of Scotty's
When Cpl Lee Scott was killed in Afghanistan, in 2009, his young widow learned how little support existed for the children of the fallen.
So Nikki Scott founded Scotty's Little Soldiers in her brave husband's memory.
The charity is currently providing assistance to hundreds of bereaved Forces children and young people around the UK.
Services offered include guidance to parents and carers, access to professional child bereavement support, personal education and learning assistance including grants.
There are also fun activities such as holiday respite breaks in a number of Scotty's lodges and group events. These are all designed to remind the children and young people supported by Scotty’s that they are not alone and help them smile again.
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