Partner of Royal Navy officer sets up shop to help military families cope with deployment hardships

Mum-of-two Charlotte Saunders unveiled her online jewellery shop, Arabella Jones while on maternity leave.

The site, set up during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, sells a range of military-themed jewellery designed for spouses and children of service personnel.

And in a special touch, customised jewellery can also be crafted, with a handwritten message from a loved one.

The effort was inspired by Charlotte’s own experiences as a military spouse.

The 27-year-old, of Wickham, said: ‘It can be so challenging. I know a lot of people who have been struggling.

‘For young children it can be incredibly hard to understand why their dads or mums aren’t around.

‘My eldest Arthur, who’s two now, is noticing more and more when his dad isn’t around. He knows he is at work but the days of the week don’t really mean much to him so it’s hard to explain when his dad will be back.

‘There must be other families like ours who have loved ones going away for long periods of time so we wanted to do something to bring them closer together and to have something they can hold or wear to make them feel like they’re more connected.’

She added: ‘We wanted to create a shop for military personnel and their loved ones, full of sentimental pieces to help make separation a little easier to endure.’

Charlotte, whose partner Luke ‘Ginge’ Clarke is a Lieutenant in the navy and a former Royal Marine before that, is also using her business to help charity.

She has teamed up with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) to raise money for the Portsmouth-based military group, which supports thousands of naval families across the globe.

A donation of £2 will be made with each item sold through Charlotte’s ‘Proud to Support’ collection.

The news has been welcomed by the head of the RNRMC, Adrian Bell, who said: ‘It is tremendously heartening that the RNRMC has been chosen as Arabella Jones’s charity of choice for the new “Proud to Support” range. Acknowledging the sacrifices the men and women of the armed forces make means a great deal and this is a wonderful way for people to show their affiliation and support.’

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Charlotte, who works for defence giant BAE Systems at Portsmouth Naval Base and gave birth to her youngest boy, James, on Christmas Eve, added the charity was close to her heart.

She said: ‘We chose the RNRMC as our charity not only because of the fantastic work they do, but because of our own military connection: my partner started out as a Royal Marine Commando and is now a naval officer, so the military is a lived experience for us. We have two young boys too, so particularly value the RNRMC for the support they offer families.’

To see the collection, visit arabella-jones.com

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