Troops to be sent shoebox gifts

Maria and Suzanne load up the boxes

Two women from Cornwall with sons in the armed forces are filling shoeboxes with Christmas presents which will be sent to troops in Afghanistan.

Maria Turner, from Tywardreath, near St Austell, and Suzanne Brown, from Par, are hoping to send 1,000 boxes for distribution on the front line.

They have collected donated goods for nearly 300 boxes so far at supermarkets, schools, pubs and clubs.

The filled boxes are due to be sent out at the end of November.

Maria Turner said the gifts were "anything that will fit in a shoebox" and included sweets, toiletries, books and other festive presents such as Christmas hats.

Suzanne Brown said the campaign had so far had a "brilliant reaction".

'Brilliant reaction'

She said: "We've had pensioners put in £10 for gifts, which is a lot from their pension. It's very humbling.

"We're just instruments. It's the community that is doing this and I'm very proud."

Suzanne Brown's son, Robert, is due to be deployed to Afghanistan just before Christmas for a six-month tour, his third in the country.

He said such gifts were a "big morale booster".

"Little things can help us a long way out there," he said. "All the troops out there are fighting and going through harsh times.

"Simple things like razor blades and shower gel are expensive to get out there, so all these things are making our lives easier.

"One you've got morale-boosting, it does help to save lives."

The boxes will be given to the MoD, which will send them to Afghanistan.