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A first-of-its-kind therapy programme for the children of British troops has launched after a pilot was oversubscribed more than five times over. Around 1,000 youngsters are set to receive face-to-face therapy as part of the tailored course which aims to address some of the challenges faced by military kids.

This includes long periods of separation from a parent deployed to a dangerous environment, the impact of news coverage on conflict and military operations and frequent moves across the UK and overseas. The new programme has been set up by charity Little Troopers following funding from the National Lottery. Founder Louise Fetigan, 43, said the rollout is in response to a "ramping up" of enquiries to the charity for support.

The British Army veteran said it was clear military children were finding it "really difficult" and bespoke support was needed.

She told the Express: "It really is a military-specific therapeutic talking programme and it became evident that there was this group of children that needed it.

"We ran the pilot which was super successful but on a small scale, and we just knew it was so vital and it needed to grow and become bigger."

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Mrs Fetigan, whose husband also served for 24 years in the Army, set up Little Troopers in 2011 after her daughter "really struggled" with life as a military child.

"There just wasn't any specific support out there and I really wanted to find that," she added.

New consumer polling by Little Troopers found more than half of people surveyed (56%) agreed that children in military families face unique challenges that could result in poor mental health.

Almost three quarters (72%) of those asked also said they believed a national children's mental health strategy, including the specific needs of military kids, is needed.

Little Troopers' therapy pilot lasted for two years and provided support to 100 children.

During this period, the charity received more than 500 referrals.

One child who received help was Zoe Herron's son Rory, now aged 9.

The 31-year-old Army wife said she reached out to the charity for support after Rory was diagnosed with PTSD following a dog attack in 2019 and was "pushed from pillar to post" by six school and house moves.

"The therapy programme really gave him the confidence to, if he didn't understand, to ask the questions.

"It gave him an understanding of what was going to happen, how it would affect him, how he may feel but that those feelings are actually ok to feel like that."

The new therapy programme will run until 2028 across England, providing support to military children aged five-years-old and above.

Hannah Taylor-Slaymaker, co-owner and director at Broad Horizons Therapy Services which will deliver the sessions, said: "Things like parental deployments, relocations, changing schools, friendships - that just impacts on that child's sense of stability.

"The therapy is going to help them understand and express their feelings within their families and develop those coping strategies and build strength to help with any of the transitions that might happen."

There are around 100,000 UK military children in locations across the world.