Forces Children Scotland 9 hours ago
Today, we’re marking our fifth anniversary as Forces Children Scotland, and we had a fitting celebration over the weekend: a room full of children and young people feeling pride in their achievements.
Coinciding with Armed Forces Week and The Big Day Out at Craiglockhart Campus, this felt like the perfect moment to show our support and gratitude for Armed Forces community. For us, this starts with the amazing babies, children and young people from Armed Forces families at the heart of our work.
The icing on the cake was seeing Cadence, a young person who has been involved with our work since the start of FCS as we know it, piped into the room. Not to mention the actual Hame-ish icing on the birthday cake, which was cut by Rubie, the creator and illustrator of Maude and other Forces children’s rights icons.
James Douglas, our colleague Heather’s brother and a grown-up Forces kid himself, did a wonderful job on the bagpipes.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for this milestone: the children, young people and families; our dedicated staff team, trustees, and volunteers; and our brilliant guests: Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland; Kerry Newham, Strategy Engagement Lead at Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust; Lieutenant Commander (retired) Susie Hamilton, Scottish Veterans Commissioner; and Catherine Lindow, illustrator of Max’s Big Move.
A decade has passed since we made a commitment to focus our delivery in Scotland and put children’s voices front and centre. Five years ago, we rebranded as Forces Children Scotland. Today, we are feeling proud, grateful, and excited for what comes next. Here’s to the next five and beyond! 🎉
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