A group of friends are to walk a distance equivalent to New York and back to raise money for bereaved Armed Forces families.

East Anglian Daily Times: Founder of Scotty's Little Soldiers, Nikki Scott, pictured here with children Brooke and Kai and her husband Lee - who died in Afghanistan in 2009.Founder of Scotty's Little Soldiers, Nikki Scott, pictured here with children Brooke and Kai and her husband Lee - who died in Afghanistan in 2009.

Joanne Curtis, from Bury St Edmunds, and her two best friends have raised over £2,000 for Scotty’s Little Soldiers - which was founded by Ms Curtis’s cousin Nikki Scott after she lost her husband Lee in Afghanistan in 2009.

The challenge will see Ms Curtis, Suzanne Cuthbert and Kerry Lee tackle 3,477 miles between them over the course of the year.

They have already completed 400 miles.

“Building Scotty’s Little Soldiers has not only changed the lives of so many children who have lost a parent whilst serving, but it also gave Nikki her life back.”

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Each of the friends has a connection to Scotty’s or the military. The group have named themselves ‘The Yaya’s’.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers supports its members in many ways, including providing access to the very best health and wellbeing care and offering educational and emotional support.

Mrs Scott said: “I’m so proud of my cousin and her friends, what incredible ladies. I’m so grateful and humbled that they’re pushing themselves and taking the time to fundraise for our charity.”

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