Military children Go Ape as Little Troopers hold team-building day for county youngsters

A charity has turned a group of military children from across Hampshire into a band of brothers through a woodland experience near Farnham.

Little Troopers recently brought 15 children together at Alice Holt Forest to build new friendships and share their experiences of having parents in the military.

The outing was part of the charity’s “All Together Programme” to connect children with parents serving in the military who had never previously met before.

Children from the likes of RAF Odiham and Aldershot became members of the “platoon” and enjoyed the special morning out at Go Ape. They began by playing some icebreakers before taking to the infamous Go Ape high ropes and zip lines on a treetop adventure.

“There’s nothing like balancing on a wobbly bridge or zooming down a zip-wire to help young people instantly make new friendships,” said Keri Cairns, Alice Holt site manager.

The team-building exercise at Go Ape Alice Holt was one of six that Little Troopers held for 90 military children around the UK.

It also provided an opportunity for military parents to bond with their children after weeks or months away.

“It’s a really good idea for service kids to meet each other, value different experiences and build their self-confidence together,” said one parent.

“I’ve recently been deployed for three months, and my daughter hasn’t seen me during that time, so it was a nice way to spend the morning with her.”

The charity supports children from all three services and deals with challenges specific to children with military parents.

These can include parents being on exercises and operations for long periods of time or them frequently moving houses and schools because of military assignments.

Future challenges for Little Troopers include an ascent of England’s highest mountain, the 978-metre Scafell Pike in the Lake District, in mid-September.

By Maddie Gay