Nikki Scott and Stuart Robinson have written a letter explaining the future of Scotty’s, taking effect immediately.
Download a copy of the letter here, or read in full below.
Dear friend of Scotty’s,
Over sixteen years ago we co-founded Scotty’s Little Soldiers after Nikki’s husband, Cpl Lee Scott, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 while serving with the British Army. Nikki’s original vision for the charity was to raise enough money to buy a holiday home that other bereaved British Forces families could use to heal together.
Ever since then we have been listening. Listening to what the bereaved military community tell us is missing or could be done better. Scotty’s has continued to evolve during this time, adding more impact, for more families, all as a result of listening.
Our team has worked every day alongside hundreds of bereaved families. We’ve learnt what works, and what doesn’t work, and what matters most to those families. We know that grief isn’t linear or a one-off event and doesn’t follow a predictable trajectory towards resolution. We know that bereaved families are likely to require support at multiple and unpredictable points across their life and therefore support needs to be structured for long-term access. It needs to be delivered by those who understand the uniqueness of life in the military. Grief doesn’t care about rank, service,
relationship status, type of death, or the particular circumstances of a death. Support needs to be inclusive, holistic and available for a lifetime. Today we take another huge step forward as a charity, but one which again is driven by listening and understanding the needs of those we aim to help.We’ve spent the past 3 years combining all our lessons learnt, consulting with the bereaved, and understanding the academic research to create comprehensive evidence of need, and a new vision to support that need. Scotty’s support is now available to anyone affected by a military-connected bereavement.
Children and young people remain at the heart of what we do (and the Scotty’s Little Soldiers name will continue for those activities), but now adults will be able to benefit from that support too. That means parents, spouses, partners, siblings, adult children, loved ones, and colleagues. Across our serving and veteran communities, all Services, and both regular and reserve forces. If you’ve been affected by a bereavement within the British military community, we are here for you when you need us.
The same old Scotty’s.
We aren’t actually changing what we do at Scotty’s, we’re just making it available to more people. Our offer still centres on the same four promises to the bereaved community we support:
- Confidence and clarity in navigating their entitlements
- The chance to build social connections
- The very best mental health and wellbeing support
- Outstanding development opportunities
And we’re not duplicating what others already do brilliantly. We see this as a genuine opportunity to connect people into services, ours and others, that they might not otherwise know existed.
Bespoke support, delivered by people who understand the military community.
Change.
We know change can feel unsettling for many, so we want to be clear. This change has been driven by those with lived experienced and is based on clear evidence of need. Our services aren’t really changing; they will just be available to more people. Our investment in our support for children and young people will increase, not decrease, in the coming months and years. These changes will compliment and even empower other organisations working with the bereaved. We believe that to offer a single door approach, it needs to be fully inclusive, without criteria.
To our long-term supporters: thank you for the years of trust you have put in us, and we hope you’ll continue to trust us to deliver this new vision. As we’ve said from day one, you aren’t simply fuelling our journey, you are on it with us.
To the charities and organisations who work alongside us in this space, particularly across the Armed Forces community: we’ve worked hard to ensure this is complementary, not competitive. We know for many actions speak louder than words, so as always, judge us by our impact and we look forward to working even more closely with you.
To those who are a part of the community we aim to serve, and those who may be joining us in the future: nothing about the support you rely on is changing. But it’s now open to more of your family, if they need it too. Keep telling us how we can make your charity better.
To our fundraising partners, corporate supporters and grant funders: we hope this gives you a clear picture of where Scotty’s is headed, and why we believe this is the right, considered next step for us. The potential for impact is huge, and we can’t do it without you – thank you.
Finally,
If you’d like to know more about our work, evidence of need or theory of change please visit our website www.scottys.org.uk and click on About Us. If you’ve been affected by a military-connected bereavement, we’d love you to be part of the Scotty’s community. It costs nothing, and you can get as involved as feels right for you. Head to www.scottys.org.uk click on Find Support and join the community today.
Best,
Nikki and Stuart
