King’s Lynn-based charity sets ambitious targets as it seeks new talent
- By Elaine Bird
- 16 February 2023
- West Norfolk
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Scotty’s Little Soldiers has just celebrated its most successful year yet, having supported 591 bereaved British Forces children and young people last year.
When Nikki Scott created King’s Lynn-based bereaved military children’s charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, following the death of her husband, Cpl Lee Scott, in 2009, she had only one goal in mind: to make sure no bereaved British Forces child felt alone.
Over a decade later Scotty’s now has 22 team members working out of its North Lynn HQ, with plans to grow even further during 2023. The charity’s long-term goal is to support over 1,000 bereaved military children annually by 2030.
“There are sadly so many young people in the UK who have experienced, or will experience, the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces, and we want them to know we’re here to support them,” said Nikki, Scotty’s founder. “The death of a parent has such a huge impact on the life of a young person, and a military bereavement can create lots of extra challenges for a family to deal with, such as moving away from a military home and community. We’re determined to provide those families with world-class bereavement support and doing that means we need to continue to grow and develop a professional, sustainable charity. I’m so proud of the team we have now, and I love that we’re able to recruit great people from the local area who help us support young people all over the UK. We hope we’re flying the flag for West Norfolk!”
2022 also saw Scotty’s raise over £ 1.5m in fundraising launch the ‘Help Find Their Children’ campaign to reach more bereaved military families led by General Lord Dannatt, former Head of the British Army, which saw their membership rise by 72 over the course of the year. Scotty’s also received support from well-known and influential figures, including an appearance at the charity’s annual ball by SAS legends Billy Billingham and Jason Fox.
Nikki with SAS legends Billy Billingham and Jason Fox
Scotty’s Chief Executive Stuart Robinson told us, “The more children and young people the charity supports, the more infrastructure we need behind the scenes to make that support sustainable. The donations we receive and the fundraisers people hold for Scotty’s are a big part of that, but we also need to invest in the charity to ensure we can provide the best support for bereaved military children, year after year. We’re very lucky to have technology that most local businesses dream about, and a culture that aims to empower the team. For example, we have no line managers – people don’t need to ask if they can go to the dentist. They manage their own time.”
The charity is currently seeking a new office to support its growing size and looking for several new team members, including a Brand Fundraising Manager to help develop individual supporter income, a Youth Worker Programme Lead to run our SPRINGBOARD Programme for young adults aged 18-25, maternity cover for Grants and Trusts Fundraising, a Child and Young Person Activities Programme Lead which involves managing events and activities for our members, a Fundraising Community Champion to help provide our supporters with a VIP service.
“I think people sometimes forget that you can have a proper career in the charitable sector,” adds Stuart, Scotty’s CEO. “It’s not fluffy stuff. The majority of our team have come from the commercial world and it’s not a whole lot different – except that you aren’t working to make profits for shareholders, you’re working to change lives. It’s incredibly fulfilling and great to be a part of shaping something which is having such a huge impact on the future of so many children and young people.”
For further information on Scotty’s and how to apply, visit www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/jobs