Bereaved families of Service personnel are being offered activity based holidays to encourage confidence, friendships and peer support in the aftermath of their loss.

The pilot project known as FAB (Families' Activity Breaks) aims to provide an adventurous but safe environment for bereaved Service families offering activities including canoeing, rock climbing leadership and team tasks, horse riding and a helicopter ride.

"This allowed me spend time with my children away from everything," said Lucy Aldridge, mother of Rifleman Will Aldridge who was killed in a Taliban ambush in Sangin, Afghanistan on Friday, July 10th, 2009 as he tried to rescue injured soldiers from an earlier explosion. He was one of eight soldiers killed during the bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan.

"You don't forget everything because you talk to other mums and obviously it does bring up a lot of emotion in talking about the circumstances surrounding your loss. But it helps to talk with people who empathize because they've gone through the same thing. This is the first tangible thing that I've been able to come to and actually meet with people who are in a similar situation."

Rather than being a bereavement facility, the activity holidays instead offer a positive platform for growth in a relaxing and safe environment. "We've always made it clear that FAB is not a bereavement camp, there won't be a lot of bereavement councilors around to support them, but once they've got over that it's more than just for their children to have fun they understand the benefits of just being together, making friends, finding support with the MoD volunteers and seeing themselves and their children growing in confidence," explained Major Belinda Forsyth, the project officer for FAB.

"They don't have to explain to anyone where dad is, or what their husbands do. There is a level of understanding about their situation and they build from there, so that although it could be negative it's a very positive experience for them because they are all in the same boat."

Twenty-three service families participated in the first week long holidays, held in Cornwall, Whitby and Yorkshire at a cost of only £50 to each family, which covered all food, accommodation and activities.

FAB is supported by a MoD volunteer scheme. Twenty five volunteers underwent bereavement support training to support the first programme, which FAB organizers plan to continue.