Kind-hearted people across the West Midlands are being urged to spread some Christmas cheer by donating gifts to troops fighting Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents.
Lieutenant Chris Moore, a 27-year-old Royal Naval Reservist from Olton, Solihull, has appealed for small items such as chocolate, sweets, toiletries, magazines, socks and other basics to be donated in shoebox-size parcels.
Chris is employed by Birmingham-based Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) but is currently serving at a NATO base in Kandahar along with 15,000 troops from around the world after volunteering to help the British forces.
Colleagues at PPDG offices across the city and in Solihull have already pledged to donate parcels that will be sent to Chris at the Kandahar base.
On Christmas Day he plans to hand out the gifts to spread good cheer among the troops from countries including Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Bulgaria and the US.
He said: "The idea is to give people an opportunity to show their appreciation for the work being done by the troops in Afghanistan. It allows people to show that they under-stand what they are doing - that they are away for Christmas, that they haven't been able to see their families for several months, and most people appreciate what they are doing.
"We are trying to build a safer more secure world and we are willing to put ourselves in a certain amount of danger to make sure that the people back home don't have to.
"Many of the lads here are kids of 17 and 18, just out of basic training, and they are putting their lives on the line. They're sent out to fight the Taliban in Helmand province and then come back here where they do light duties and get their heads back together.
"Many of the people at the base donít get parcels from home so it would be great to be able to distribute the donated items on Christmas Day and put smiles on a few faces."
Chris is a Naval Reservist based at HMS Forward in Birmingham. His role at the Regional Command HQ in Kandahar is as a battle space information manager. He joined PPDG in 2002 after leaving the Royal Navy and now works as a coach and mentor for Pertemps Coachright.
He was mobilised in July and flew out to Afghanistan in August for a six-month tour of duty.
Anyone interested in donating shoebox-size parcels should take them to Chris's colleagues Georgina Murphy and Louise Careless at PPDG's office at 1506-1508 Coventry Road, Yardley, Birmingham, or call 0121 707 2561.
