MAIL readers are being urged to show their support for Burton and South Derbyshire troops spending this Christmas overseas.
The Mail is offering a service where friends, relatives and others can send their messages to servicemen and women based in foreign countries, which will be displayed for them to read on the Burton Mail website.
News from home is vital to morale - especially for those who find themselves in troublespots like Iraq and Afghanistan - according to Army spokesman Mike James.
He told The Mail: "Messages of support from family, friends and the wider public are of great comfort to all those serving abroad - particularly those on operational duty - at a time when thoughts inevitably turn to those at home."
The Army has had to implement new restrictions on the amount of mail which it carries, after being flooded with letters and parcels last Christmas, many of them sent to unnamed forces personnel by people wishing to show their appreciation to the troops.
This Christmas, the free forces mail service is being limited to friends and family, with others wishing to show their support being urged to make a donation to uk4u Thanks! - a charity which provides Christmas boxes for those serving oversees, via its website at www.uk4u.org.
The new service on our website will offer readers the chance to show their support for the troops, and allow families and friends to keep in touch with loved ones, according to Mail editor-in-chief Paul Hazeldine.
He said: "It is important to recognise the role played by service personnel from Burton and South Derbyshire, particularly those who, while often having to operate in extremely difficult cirumstances, are separated from their loved ones at Christmas.
"We wanted to do something to show our troops that they are not forgotten, and to give friends, relatives and readers who just want to show their support the chance to keep in touch."
Anyone wishing to send a message to troops overseas should e-mail editorial@burtonmail.co.uk or write to Burton Mail, 65-68, High Street, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 1LE.
Letters or e-mails should be marked 'messages for the troops' and where applicable include the name and regiment of the person you are writing to and where they are serving.
MAIL readers are being asked to write to SSgt Shingler, a 44-year-old electronics technician from the Burton area serving in Iraq with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
Letters and parcels, which should be posted after Christmas to avoid clashing with family mail during the busy festive period, can be sent to 24889333 SSgt Shingler, 20 Armoured (TELIC) Company, Equipment Support Group, UK Logistic Battalion, Op TELIC, BFPO 635.
READ YOUR CHRISTMAS MESSAGES TO THE TROOPS