I am so grateful to Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and its fantastic supporters.
I have served in the Royal Navy for 20 years. I am now a Lieutenant-Commander and a Principal Warfare Officer. Being a dad in the armed forces comes with unique challenges. As men in the military, we can be reluctant to discuss our feelings. But we also love our partners and children, and find it so difficult to be apart from them.
When my third child was born, I took extended parental leave. With my first two, I missed a lot of their first years being away with work. You can’t help but worry about this. You miss them. You feel guilty. You wonder if they will see you as a stranger.
At the end of this wonderful time bonding with our third child, I became increasingly anxious about my upcoming deployment.
Then I found out about Dads on Board. It is a programme run by Home-Start South and West Devon and funded by Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity. It provides Navy dads like me the opportunity to discuss in a group things we might have otherwise bottled up. It didn’t matter what our rank was - we all shared one title, ‘Dad’.
It is so important that Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity is funding projects like Dads on Board. It will help future Navy dads so much.
My family is now stronger than ever, because of Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity and its brilliant supporters.
In 2024, Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity were able to help more than 135,000 people like Stuart. Every single one of them has their own story. Your support is changing so many lives. Thank you, your support is always appreciated.
If you would like to help today, please click here.
