A Bespoke children’s book designed to help youngsters understand and process the thoughts and feelings associated with life in military families has been distributed to Army households in Stafford.

The brainchild of Captain John Kennaugh (Royal Signals), the unit welfare officer at 16th Signal Regiment, the project was financed by a £10,000 grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund.

Captain Kennaugh set about the task after his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Pete Brunton, spoke of doing more to help the mental health of families. He was introduced to The Big Happiness Project, who helped with the writing and publishing of the book, which is aimed at six to 12-year-olds and is entitled The Adventures of an Everyday Explorer.

“It covers topics such as what happens if mum and dad separate, deployments for a parent and moving to a new school,” Captain Kennaugh told Soldier. “These are all key issues that military families encounter.”
The book also encompasses the cultural differences that children from Nepalese and Commonwealth families may face.

Reference

Soldier. (2021) Adventure Under Way. Soldier: Magazine of the British Army. August 2021, pp.16.