Soldiers record bedtime stories

Cpl Jamie Harland leaves for Afghanistan next month

Kent soldiers preparing for a tour of duty in Afghanistan are taking part in a new project which allows them to stay in close contact with their children.

The Canterbury-based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders have recorded bedtime stories onto a CD for the youngsters to hear while they are away.

The Storytime Soldiers project has been jointly organised by the battalion and Canterbury Sure Start.

Twenty-six soldiers, one of them a mother, have taken part in the scheme.

The parents have each recorded four bedtime stories onto a CD, which has a cover photo of them reading the stories, and also a recorded personal message.

'Last message'

Cpl Jamie Harland, of 5 Scots, who has a young son and daughter, said he found making the recordings quite emotional.

"Especially when I came to write the personal message for children, with the thought that could be the last thing that they have as a personal thing for them from me," he said.

The scheme has been funded by the Unit Welfare Office, the Riverside Children's Centre and local businesses, with books donated by well-known publishers.

Project manager Jo Treharne said it was all about building links between children and their parents.

"These parents are expected to be in Afghanistan for eight months, which is a long time in the life of a two-year-old.

"The children and their dads would miss out on this time of closeness without the project," she said.