Mother Of Murdered Serviceman Sets Up Retreat For Forces Families

The mother of murdered soldier Lee Rigby is setting up a respite centre in Staffordshire, to help bereaved military parents and veterans.

Lee Rigby was murdered outside his barracks in London in May 2013.

In the weeks and months that followed, his parents were not considered his next of kin and found little support was available to them.

Lyn created the Lee Rigby Foundation after her son was killed.

She has fought to get better support for parents left behind after the death of their children in the forces.

Speaking out about the lack of support the family received in the wake of Lee’s death, she said:

“There’s no support for the parents really. If you’re not next of kin, you don’t get any support. Most of the charities won’t entertain you. There wasn’t a retreat where we could go to escape the cameras.”

Lyn is now fighting for better support for bereaved military families through the Lee Rigby Foundation, and with the help of a charity she’s setting up respite retreats.

The first is Lee Rigby House in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside, which was donated to the cause by the Kendo Nagasaki foundation.

The Lee Rigby House and Lodge are for families and veterans to rest and recuperate away from the rest of the world.

Although Lee Rigby House is not yet complete, Lyn has hopes for the positive impact of the charity, saying:

"We've turned a tragedy into something positive for other people".

Photograph courtesy of Harry Szymanski

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