A FORMER Abingdon army captain whose son asked her, ‘Will Daddy get blown up?’ when her husband was fighting in Afghanistan, has spoken of the difficulties facing service families.

Sarah Steel, founder of Old Station Nurseries, based in Faringdon, spent seven years in the Army after she left university, being posted first to Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, specialising in logistics and catering.

Although Mrs Steel, married to former RAF pilot Kirk, 40, never served abroad, she has first-hand experience of the challenges facing the families of serving troops and their children.

She opened the doors to her first nursery in Faringdon in 2002 and has since opened several others on military bases where she feels her strong point is being able to “speak the language” of the military community and relate to parents in similar situations.

Mrs Steel, mother to Harry, 11 and Jessica, nine, owns 12 nurseries in Oxfordshire, Rutland, North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottingham.

She is putting the finishing touches to her 13th nursery in Innsworth, near Gloucester, due to open later this year.

Tonight, she spoke about the importance of instilling a positive attitude in children when their parents were serving abroad to stop them from worrying.

The 40-year-old, who went to Abingdon’s St Helen and St Katharine School, said: “It’s very difficult when a parents goes away, particularly in army families.

“It’s very disruptive for the little ones.

“When they are tiny you can’t really explain to them.

“And then when my son was nine, my husband went to Afghanistan. He was asking ‘Will Daddy get blown up?’ They watch Newsround and listen to the radio news, they know what’s going on.”

Mrs Steel, who lives near Faringdon, said it helps children adjust by bringing in photos of their parents and mapping where they are working.

She said: “All you can say is that they have got the best equipment, they are all well trained and they do everything possible to reduce the risk and they should be absolutely fine and really try to focus on the positive.

“There is nothing worse for a child than feeling like they can’t talk about it,” she added.

Speaking of the public support for troops she said: “When I joined in 1992 the military had a very low profile, but it has come a long way.

“Most soldiers do feel supported, they love getting pictures and letters and food parcels and visits. I think VIP visits keep them in the public eye and make sure they remain there.”

Mrs Steel encouraged other former servicemen and women not to be afraid of life outside the services, adding that they were armed with many skills attractive to employers.

She said: “The Army is brilliant, people have so many transferable skills. There is life after the military, we have got so much to offer.”

eallen@oxfordmail.co.uk