A BURCOMBE-BASED father-of-two brings local band Twist of Fete together to raise money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Serving military legal officer Grant Davies has organised a performance at The Barford Inn, Barford St Martin, with his band Twist of Fete on February 15.

Every three months the band chooses a charity to support by hosting an event at a local venue and performing for the evening.

The band is hoping to raise £250 for Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Grant, who served in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Northern Ireland, said: “When on tour, the worst part is being away from my family. I’ve seen many colleagues sadly not make it back. The first thing I think of is their family back home and the effect it has on them.

“I have two children, so Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a charity that’s really close to home. I couldn’t think of a more deserving charity to raise money for. There are many military charities, but Scotty’s focuses on the children and tries to help fill that awful hole left by bereavement in any little way they can.

“The band and I are from a small village that has many military connections and has a lot of former service men and women living there; a lot of the band’s friends are ex-military, so we have a lot of support. The band has built up quite a following! People travel surprisingly far and wide to see us; it’s really grown into something.

He added: “There’s no charge to attend the event. The band members are all amateurs apart from our fantastic drummer Rich Perry, and it’s a very relaxed, fun evening in a great cosy pub setting. We just want everyone to have a great time and create a fun atmosphere whilst raising money for a great cause. We cover everything from Radiohead to Elvis - it’s a very broad range. If you can’t sing, dance or foot tap along, we don’t perform it.”

Founded by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010, Scotty’s Little Soldiers supported 410 bereaved British military children and young people across the country in 2019 alone.

The charity was set up in memory of Nikki’s husband and father to her two children, Corporal Lee Scott, after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

The charity supports families in a number of ways, including providing access to health and wellbeing care, offering development opportunities through a range of activity and educational grants, as well as providing respite breaks, posting them birthday and Christmas presents and remembering the anniversary of their parent’s death, and arranging events where bereaved Forces children from all over the country come together.

Nikki added: “We’re extremely grateful to Grant and Twist of Fete for their heartfelt support of Scotty’s Little Soldiers. It sounds like it will be a great night and every penny that is raised over the evening will make a huge difference to the lives of the children. Thank you to everyone involved.”

To find out more about Scotty's Little Soldiers and how to support the charity click here.