£80,000 Grant Boosts Support for Cornwall’s Armed Forces Families

An £80,000 grant has been awarded to Cornwall Council’s Early Years Service to enhance support for children under five from armed forces families. The grant, provided by the Armed Forces Covenant, will be used for a new project titled ‘Armed Forces Children in Cornwall’.

The project aims to assist nurseries and pre-schools located near military bases, including RAF St Mawgan, RNAS Culdrose, and HMS Raleigh, to better engage with and support the young children and families of armed forces personnel.

Focus on Emotional Wellbeing

The initiative places a strong emphasis on training to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by armed forces families, particularly focusing on the emotional wellbeing and resilience of young children. This training will be offered to staff at the nurseries and pre-schools involved in the project, helping them to understand and address the specific needs of this community.

Barbara Ellenbroek, cabinet member for children and families at Cornwall Council, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, saying, “It is fantastic news that our Early Years Service has managed to secure this grant, which will go towards providing greater support for children and families from the armed forces community.”

Strengthening Community Support

One of the key objectives of the project is to establish a stronger support network for armed forces families across Cornwall. By partnering with experts from other sectors and working closely with nurseries and pre-schools, the project seeks to ensure that young children from armed forces families are listened to, understood, and supported in a way that meets their unique needs.

“It is one of the council’s key priorities to make Cornwall a brilliant place to be a child and grow up, and that means making sure young people from every community are listened to, understood and supported in the right way,” added Ellenbroek.

The £80,000 grant represents a significant step towards achieving this goal, providing much-needed resources to help the youngest members of the armed forces community in Cornwall thrive.