GENEROUS residents in Tetbury have been collecting Christmas presents to send out to British troops serving in Afghanistan.

The scheme in Tetbury is now in its second year and is part of a wider initiative called Support Our Soldiers (SOS), which is being run in towns across the country.

The gifts will be wrapped up as Christmas parcels to be flown out to troops who will spend the festive period away from loved ones.

Merlin Fraser is one of the residents spearheading the scheme. He said: "We had a very good response from shops and the general public in Tebury which was great. We send out things like sweets, books and games to keep the soldiers entertained."

The donations will be passed onto the regional centre in Cheltenham this week and flown out later this month.

For more information go to supportoursoldiers.co.uk