A group of Moray toddlers were transformed into little soldiers yesterday as they donned camouflage gear and completed army-style challenges.
The youngsters from the Torridon nursery school at Lossiemouth’s East Beach braved chilly conditions as they ventured into nearby woodland to sample a taste of military life.
Servicemen from RAF Lossiemouth were on hand to put the children through their paces.
They helped the small squaddies attach camouflaged canvases to trees to create shelters, and guided them through a miniature obstacle course.
The nursery group – which has another base in Lossiemouth and one in Elgin – is staging a “camo week” to teach all 150 of its youngsters about military life.
Group manager, Lauren Hayward, said roughly half of the children who attend at Torridon’s Moray centres have family ties with the forces.
She added: “We are helping the children to understand that sometimes their parents will have to go away for a long time, and this is the sort of thing they will be doing.
“And for the children whose parents are not in the services, this gives an insight into what life is like for those families.
“We run outdoors classes twice a week, but we are the first in Moray to stage a ‘camo week’ like this.
“The children have been taking part in assault courses and making dens, which also helps with team-building and problem solving.”
Assisting the hardy crew of youngsters as they crawled beneath tripwire were Corporal Ben Mercer, Senior Aircraftsman Tom Gilbert and Warrant Officer Andy Cassidy from RAF Lossiemouth.
Warrant Officer Cassidy is chairman of the station’s Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), which supports service families and veterans through tough times.
He said the activities week had also been organised to raise awareness of the charity and the work it does.
He added: “The military is a huge community issue in Lossiemouth, and a lot of parents from the base are sent on deployment.
“We think it helps the children to see and experience the sort of thing their parents might do when they are away.”
Children from the nursery will be fundraising for SSAFA at a charity concert organised by Poppy Scotland at Elgin Town Hall tonight at 7pm.
