Soldier Tom Neathway simply had no chance of knowing the sandbag he was about to lift would change his life forever.

Lance Corporal Neathway, from Worcester, was serving with the 2 Para regiment in Afghanistan in July last year and had only been stationed there for five months when he went to secure an area before his comrades could pass through.

The booby trap which lay underneath the sandbag had been constructed out of plastic by Taliban insurgents so that it could not be identified by a metal detector.

“The one that got me you just would not have found unless you dug up the whole compound,” said the 25-year-old.

“It didn’t have a metal signature which made it impossible to detect.

“When I lifted up the sandbag it completed the connection which triggered the bomb. I’d been blown up three times before – it’s just one of those things.

“Our guys are very good at finding these devices but the more we find the more complicated the devices get.

“If I had not lifted that sandbag up somebody else would have and might not have survived.”

The blast from the bomb was so powerful it virtually blew Tom’s legs off and caused his left arm to be amputated but miraculously he survived.

He added: “I was fully conscious the whole way through and in no pain.

“It was one of those surreal experiences but I knew how badly injured I was. It was a bit bizarre.”

Tom was picked up by helicopter and flown to Selly Oak Hospital’s Royal Defence Medical Centre for emergency treatment which he says saved his life.

The former Bishop Perowne School pupil spoke of his terrifying ordeal and his rehabilitation during the media launch of the Help for Heroes charity event at West Mercia Police headquarters at Hindlip Hall near Worcester.

West Mercia Police, which is the only force in the country organising such a large scale event in support of Help for Heroes, hopes it will raise in the region on £30,000 for the charity which helped turn Tom’s life around.

The event will feature a silent auction of sporting memorabilia, a demonstration by West Mercia’s dog handling team, aerial displays, a freefall parachute team and dozens of weird and wonderful aircraft and vehicles including tanks.

Tom said: “They give a hell of a lot of support to guys getting injured in combat and away from combat.

“They provided me and my family with accommodation. I can’t speak highly enough of Help for Heroes – without them and the doctors at Selly Oak I wouldn’t be here now.”

With more and more casualties seemingly being flown back from Afghanistan the role of Help for Heroes, which has paid for new prosthetic legs so Tom can get about and lead an independent life, is becoming more crucial.

“I’d imagine it’s the same as in Iraq,” said Tom.

“It’s just a shame it’s took so many casualties for people to realise what’s going on out there.”