A CALL has been made for young Fifers with armed forces connections to get involved in a project supporting veteran families.

The scheme, Ruby Boots, was an idea generated by young people with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.

It aims to train buddy mentors from veteran families to support peers who have parents leaving or have recently left the armed forces.

Once training is complete, buddy mentors will share their lived experiences, answer important questions, provide friendship and organise fun-based activities for peers who are making the change from military to civilian life with their families.

Those behind the project are now urging young people from armed forces and veteran families to get involved.

They also want to encourage adults from civilian, military, and veteran backgrounds to consider becoming facilitators.

Rubie was involved in the group that came up with the idea behind Ruby Boots.

She has been taking part in adverts on Kingdom FM to help get the word out.

She said: "It’s so good knowing that sharing my experiences in a forces family has helped to shape Ruby Boots and help other young people who have a parent leaving the armed forces.

"I really enjoyed getting involved in the radio ads and, hopefully, they help to raise awareness and encourage others to get involved."

Many young people from the armed forces community have moved, on average, a minimum of five times across the UK and overseas whilst a parent has served.

Making the change from military to civilian life is something very different.

Sometimes young people are even left with caring responsibilities for parents who have experienced life-changing physical or psychological wounds.

Ruby Boots aims to adapt and respond to ensure individual support needs are met and to reach out to the more than 1,300 young people from the armed forces community currently living in Fife.

Jaiden, who also participated in the campaign said: "It’s great that we have something like Ruby Boots happening in Fife which I wish was around when my dad left the armed forces a couple of years ago.

"I would encourage anyone who could benefit from the project to find out more."