Swansea Service Children's Forces Festival

In early June, the SSCE Cymru team were pleased to support a special community event for Service children from schools across Swansea, held this week at the Mumbles Army Reserve Centre, home to 223 (West Glamorgan) Transport Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps, part of 157 (Welsh) Regiment RLC.

The event gave children from Armed Forces families the opportunity to meet others with shared experiences, build friendships, grow in confidence and take part in activities focused on teamwork, wellbeing and fun.

We were delighted to see local organisations, including Bulldogs Boxing & Community Activities, the Army Engagement Team, Tesco, the Adferiad Bloom Project and Impact Wellbeing Solutions, deliver engaging sessions throughout the day.

It was also a valuable opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss some of the challenges faced by military families, including mobility, deployment and school transitions. As part of the event, we shared guidance, resources and information on how schools can become Armed Forces Friendly. Finola Pickwell, the AFLO, also invited along members of our wider network in Neath Port Talbot to share their experiences of working with SSCE Cymru and gave wonderful best practice examples. Thank you Julie and Eve for joining us. 

We were proud to be part of an event that helped strengthen community links, reduce isolation and build support networks for Service children and their families across the region.

A huge thank you to Finola Pickwell AFLO for working with us, organising and running the event, to Capt. H Williams and his team for hosting, and to Cllr. Wendy Lewis, the Armed Forces Champion and Swansea City Council for their support.