Sweet treats for service personnel

11:39am Sunday 4th May 2008

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THERE were smiles all round when the sailors and marines from the RNAS Yeovilton's Commando Helicopter Force based in Afghanistan received a most welcome gift from the people of South Somerset.

The gifts, in the form of boxes of sweets, were donated by various members of the Wincanton public and presented to 846 NAS earlier in the year.

Tony Goddard, branch secretary of the Wincanton Royal British Legion, said: "The local people were extremely keen to demonstrate their support for the men and women of our armed forces that are deployed not only in Afghanistan but all over the world.

"We thought it would be nice for these brave young men and women to realise they were not forgotten by the citizens of Somerset"."

Helicopters and personnel of both 845 and 846 squadrons have been deployed in Afghanistan for over eight months and are carrying out a wide range of demanding tasks from moving individuals and small teams about the province, to over-flying and protecting ground convoys and assisting in the seizure of illegal weapons.

Lt Cdr Stephens, from the CHF headquarters, said: "This extremely thoughtful gift will no doubt lift the morale of our deployed personnel.

"Their intention is to hand out some of the sweets to those airlifted back to base. It will no doubt put a smile back on the faces of those who have been at the forefront of the action."

But he joked: "However, we are not too sure what the dentist will say!"