In 2009, Nikki Scott BEM was 28 with two children under 5 when she got the knock on the door that every military wife dreads.
Her 26 year old husband, Lee, had been killed in Afghanistan and she was suddenly a widow, with no home of her own and a piece of her heart ripped out.
Over the next few months, she barely survived, watching her 5 year old son shrink into a shadow of his former self until, on an enforced family holiday, she saw him smile and laugh with his cousins and she realised she had to do something to ensure he stayed that way.
In this incredible episode, Nikki tells us how she used her grief, and her desire to see her kids grow up strong and loved, to set up Scotty’s Little Soldiers. The charity was founded to assist and support children of British service personnel in the event of them losing a parent.
She is passionate about children and young people feeling remembered and seen despite their very particular kind of loss. We discuss all the aspects of the charity’s incredible aims as well as her own personal journey to happiness.
Nikki’s story is tear jerking, vulnerable and so inspiring. How a young widow, who had only ever worked in bars and nurseries, set up a nationwide charity and was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to charity in the 2021 New Years Honours List, is well worth a listen.
To learn more about Scotty’s, see how to donate or buy their cool merchandise, go to www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk
You can follow on social media on:
Instagram: @scottyslittlesoldiers
Twitter: @corporalscottyL
LinkedIn: Scotty’s Little Soldiers