From REME to Robots: Finding Calm, Creativity, and a New Mission By Lotty Laverton
If you’ve served, you’ll recognise this feeling: life lived at speed, purpose built into every day, and resilience becoming second nature. For many of us, service isn’t just a job, it’s part of who we are.
Andy served for 27 years in the REME. Like so many military families, our life followed the rhythm of postings, moves, and starting again. We raised three children along the way, learned to adapt quickly, and carried on because that’s what you do. Army life gives structure, camaraderie, and direction, but it also asks a lot, and not everything is neatly put down when service ends.
Andy left the army in 2007 and moved straight into civilian life, still working with helicopters and still operating in high-pressure environments. There was no pause or reset. He just kept going. Sixteen years later, it caught up with him.
In early 2023, Andy suffered a serious mental health breakdown. Watching someone who has always coped suddenly struggle to get through a day is frightening. Advice came thick and fast, including mindfulness, but sitting quietly with his thoughts only made things harder. His mind needed focus, not stillness.
What helped came quietly and without expectation.
Andy retreated into the garage and began making things from scrap. No plan. No pressure. Just tools, hands, and concentration. Slowly, robot sculptures began to emerge. He calls making them his “meditation for engineers”. In the gentle clink of metal, the careful shaping of each piece, and the constant problem-solving, his mind found calm again. Purpose returned. The noise eased.
Those robots became known as the Berts, named after my great-grandfather Herbert, a Yorkshire man who could never throw anything away because it “might come in useful one day”. Each Bert is completely unique, built from scrap but full of character and meaning.
Out of something incredibly difficult, something positive began to grow.
As the Berts multiplied, they sparked something in me too. I’d always wanted to write stories but never quite believed I could. Sitting at the table surrounded by these robot characters, it felt as though they were quietly asking me to tell their stories. So I did.
That was the beginning of Weebert’s World.
Weebert is a small robot, no bigger than a can of beans, and the heart of a growing story world built on imagination, kindness, and creativity. Weebert’s World gives children permission to play, explore, imagine, and create, while gently introducing ideas of diversity, curiosity, and caring for our planet through comforting, fun storytelling.
Our connection with Mission Motorsport is deeply important to us. Supporting veterans as they find their footing beyond service matters because we know first-hand how vital it is to have something to focus on, something that restores confidence and belonging.
At the Mission Motorsport Charity Track Night at Anglesey Circuit, Andy had one of those moments that stays with you. He was absolutely thrilled to meet Chris Harris, someone he has admired for years. Chris took the time to talk with Andy and later signed the photograph of BertoLotty, which now forms part of the owner’s pack that accompanies the sculpture.
That pack includes a certificate of authenticity and a detailed biography of BertoLotty, listing the individual parts that make up the sculpture. It felt like a full-circle moment. From garage therapy to the track, from breakdown to belonging, and from scrap to something truly valued.
Donating BertoLotty to support Mission Motorsport feels like the right thing to do. Giving back to a community that understands the challenges of life beyond uniform matters to us deeply.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that recovery doesn’t look the same for everyone. Andy found his calm through making. Others may find it through motorsport, engineering, creativity, or simply being around people who understand. The important thing is finding your “thing”.
We hope our story helps show that even after the hardest moments, purpose can return, confidence can rebuild, and a new chapter really is possible.
Sometimes, it starts quietly, with a handful of scrap, a garage, and the courage to begin again.
Vital statistics:
Weight: 15kg | Length: 73cm | Height: 20cm | Width: 20cm
BertoLotty has been generously donated for a silent auction to raise vital funds for Mission Motorsport.
If you would like to be the proud new owner of this wonderful sculpture, please send your bids via email to:
giving@missionmotorsport.org
The winner of the Auction will be announced on Tuesday 3rd March – the charity’s 14th birthday