How girl who lost her soldier dad turned her grief into a passion for fundraising
Beth Wood said she struggled to deal with losing her dad ... but charity Scotty's Little Soldiers was there to help
THIS brave young woman turned tragedy into triumph.
After losing her soldier father in 2010, then 15-year-old Beth Wood became an active fundraiser for Scotty's Little Soldiers — a charity that supports bereaved British Forces children that is part of The Sun's campaign.
The heartbreaking story of her dad's loss is one familiar to the families of armed service personnel who have been killed in uniform.
Beth, now 21, described learning of her dad Staff Sgt Glyn Hole's death from a tragic car accident outside his barracks in Aldershot as like her "whole life crashing down".
"I really struggled coming to terms with what had happened, it just didn’t seem real", she said.
Tragically, she kept imagining that her "joker" dad would reappear and everything would go back to normal.
"It felt like he was away on tour until I didn’t get the weekly phone calls telling me how he’s going to bring me back a bag of sand and how many pranks he’d played that week", she explained.
But student Beth didn't let despair ruin her life, thanks to the help and support she got from Scotty's Little Soldiers.
Related Stories
She decided that as well as applying to get help from the charity, she would also put her name forward to become a fundraiser, gathering donations that will go towards providing invaluable help for other grieving families.
"The reply I got made my day; ‘Become a member’".
She received her welcome pack on Father's Day just before she went to visit her dad's grave, allowing her to tell him all about the charity's amazing work and how she planned to help.
She went on to receive Christmas and birthday gifts from the charity, who also post vouchers to all their members to use on the anniversary of their parent's death and Remembrance Sunday.
"It’s the small, subtle things that mean the most to me", Beth explained.
Things like the emotional support through texts, phone calls and hugs when she has "bad days" missing her dear dad.
She said: "I do believe that if Scotty’s didn’t exist I would be a completely different woman and would probably still be finding it difficult to move on with my life."
And this progress has been amazing. Beth received a Higher Education Grant from Scotty's that helped her go on to enroll as a photography student at the University of Central Lancashire.
But she remains a committed volunteer with Scotty's and a mentor for the younger members.
"I can’t change what has happened, nobody can, but when you have the emotional and physical support like I have received from this amazing charity, I know that it’s OK to smile", she explained.
"I’m not on my own and it’s OK to move on with my life as I have the memories safe in my heart."
You too could help a child suffering the heartache of losing their armed services parent.
Please donate to The Sun's Campaign.
Give cash
Online:
Text: To give £2, text KIDS55 2 to 70070. You can change the amount to £3, £4, £5 or £10 by changing the last figure to 3, 4, 5 or 10.
Post: Send a cheque, made payable to JustGiving Foundation, to JustGiving The Sun Appeal, Bluefin Building 2nd Floor, London SE1 0TA
Give toys
You can donate new or used toys in good condition at 1,370 branches of McColl’s convenience stores.
Toys “R” Us will accept new toys only — look for special Sun trolleys near entrances.
Tell pals
Like our Facebook page
Or tweet using #SmilesAtChristmas to let us know how you’re getting involved!