HALTON MP Derek Twigg announced that thousands of mystery boxes full of Christmas goodies and gifts are being sent to members of the armed forces overseas this Christmas.
The last of the 25,000 boxes have left RAF Brize Norton on the final leg of their journey to service personnel in British bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans as a way of saying 'thank you' for squaddies' commitment and hard work.
Mr Twigg, defence under-secretary, was at Regent's Park Barracks in London to see the last few boxes depart and to thank the sponsors of this year's Armed Forces Christmas box and the trustees of the charity that made it possible.
Mr Twigg said: 'Christmas is never an easy time of year to be away from home and loved ones and we want to make it as festive as possible for our personnel deployed overseas.
'The Christmas boxes are an excellent way of showing our appreciation and thanks for the important and often dangerous job they are doing on our behalf.
'I am delighted that so many companies have supported UK4UThanks! this year by sponsoring the Christmas boxes. Without this and the hard work of the charity, this venture would not be such a resounding success for all involved.'
