Welcome

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children’s Fund is the only charity dedicated to supporting children whose parents work, or have worked, for the Naval Service.

The needs of the children are paramount and help is provided when not available from family or statutory sources.

“The support you give so generously, makes him feel valued and worth investing in, and helps him to have pride and faith in himself. From the bottom of my heart and with every fibre of my being. Thank you.”

One of the families we’ve helped

Knitters Needed! Tuesday 28th May, 2pm to 4pm at the NMRN Portsmouth

Knitters Needed!

For a Knit and Natter event at the NMRN Portsmouth to help a project for the Royal Navy Royal Marines Children’s Fund.

The sound of clacking knitting needles and chatter will fill the air of the National Museum of the Royal Navy on Tuesday 28^th May as volunteers knit cute little dolls. They will be helping the Royal Navy Royal Marines Children’s Fund to knit the dolls for a new project to help naval families affected by OSR.

The Knit and Natter takes place on Tuesday 28^th May, 2pm to 4pm. Entry into the event is free and patterns and wool be provided, just bring your own knitting needles! In order to ensure we have enough refreshments for all the volunteers, please register your intention to come with Zeenat Turner, zeenat@starfishdesign.co.uk or call 023 9242 8176.

Volunteers across the UK and even Europe have already been busily knitting pairs of parent and children dolls holding hands to symbolise knitting the family back together using patterns kindly donated by Fiona Goble, best-selling author of books such as: ‘Knit your own Royal Wedding’!

If you are unable to attend the event and would still like to show your support by knitting a doll or two, full details including the pattern can be found on this website’s home page.

KNITTERS NEEDED – Royal Navy & Royal Marines Children’s Fund urgently need knitting volunteers

The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Children’s Fund (RN&RMCF), the only charity dedicated to supporting children whose parents work for the Naval Services, is looking for knitters to volunteer their time and their spare wool to create small dolls for the charity.

As part of a sensitive new 2013 initiative called ‘Knit the Family’ the charity is focusing on the importance of knitting families back together when one of the parents returns from active military service. Central to the initiative will be a support handbook aimed at providing practical help and guidance for the family in helping to overcome the effects of PTSD and OSR (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Operational Stress Reaction).

The charity is planning to distribute the book with the little knitted dolls that depict a generic parent and child holding hands to symbolise the importance of ‘knitting’ families back together…. But to do this they need volunteers to knit the small dolls.

Full details including the patterns can be found here:

Laughing Hens, the knitting website for all your knitting needs has kindly offered a 10% discount to those buying wool or other items to knit the small dolls when quoting ‘RNRMCF’ at the checkout. www.laughinghens.com

The pattern for the dolls has been specially created by Fiona Goble, who published ‘Knit your own Royal Wedding’ in 2011 with Ivy Press who have kindly donated the pattern to the RN&RMCF. Fiona Goble and Ivy Press have also published books such as Knit Your Own Zombie, Fairy Tale Knits and Farmyard Knits and recently a pattern to ‘Knit Your Own Royal Baby’.

Monique Bateman, Director of RN&RMCF says: “People are always incredibly generous towards our charity because everyone recognises the sadness, especially for children, caused by disharmony in the home. Returning service personnel have much to contend with as do their families and what we are trying to achieve is a more seamless reintegration into family life. The little dolls are rich in symbolism and we desperately need volunteers to click their needles for us”

If you think you can help us by knitting a parent and child, please send your completed dolls to:

Natalie Lloyd

Spider PR

4 Leathermarket Street

London

SE1 3HN

For further information please contact: Natalie Lloyd at Spider PR 020 7403 6900, natalie.lloyd@spider-pr.com

Supercar Siege at Leeds Castle, Saturday 18 May 2013

Children’s Art Competition 2013

To highlight Seafarers Awareness Week 2013

Use your imagination and create a drawing, painting, collage or cartoon (no computer generated images) using the theme

‘Fish for tea?’

There are three categories: 0-5, 6-11 and 12-16 years old and the only limit is your imagination!

HOW TO ENTER:

Complete the entry form below and send it, with your picture or pictures to the address on the form. Unfortunately pictures cannot be returned. You may enter as many entries as you like but each must be accompanied by a separate entry form. GOOD LUCK!

“The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Children’s Fund art competition is a brilliant way to inspire kids to get into art and learn about beautiful, fresh fish, where it comes from and why it’s so good for them – it’s a brilliant competition and I’m excited to see the winning pictures.”

Jamie Oliver

For more information, please email Clare Scherer at clare@rnrmchildrensfund.org.uk

Entry Form 2013

Art Competition 2013 Posters

We need your help to build a giant Poppy!

Terry Williams from Henstridge is using donated petals from poppies sold for Remembrance Sunday to create the world’s biggest poppy in time for the second annual Armed Forces Day gathering in Henstridge in June 2013.

The giant poppy, which will be used to raise money for the Royal British Legion is expected to measure 60 by 40 feet, and will require 250,000 petals to complete.

Mr Williams said he is delighted to have received so many petals in just three weeks, and he’s urging people to keep them coming.

“People have really embraced this. We are so grateful for the poppies we have received so far but we still need a lot more,” he said.

Mr Williams is now seeking a sponsor for certificates, which he hopes to present to everyone who provides petals on Forces Day.

To add to the giant poppy, write your name and postcode on the back of each petal and send them to Mr Williams at 2 Marlstone Court, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0SH. For more information, call 07845 137796.

For more information on the event in Henstridge, see here Henstridge Exhibitor entry form 2013