Campaigners have raised £30,000 to support families of soldiers injured and killed in battle.

Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment many from the county spent a year raising the money through wristbands.

The news was welcomed by the father of Private Adam Morris, who was killed three years ago, aged 19, in a roadside blast near Basra, Iraq.

Nigel Morris, said: "It's an excellent idea and it's so nice that they have reached their target.

"There will be lots of families like ours who are down on their luck and this could help keep them going."

Some of the money will also go towards a memorial at the regimental museum, in Duxford, honouring the 68 Royal Anglians who have died since the regiment was formed almost 50 years ago.

Pte Morris, from Hugglescote, near Coalville, was killed by a roadside bomb on May 13, 2006. The rifleman had been on patrol at the time of the ambush. Pte Joseva Lewaicei, 25, from Fiji, also lost his life.

Mr Morris said that since his son's death, the family had received a huge amount of support from comrades in the battalion.

Mr Morris said: "We still get a lot of support from Adam's old regiment and we still keep in touch regularly with family liaison officers.

"They make it feel like we've always got someone to turn to.

"I will support drives such as this 110 per cent because it was incredibly tough for us when Adam died."

About 15,000 wristbands have been sold since June last year, bearing the slogan Supporting Our Heroes The Poachers.

Last winter, the battalion returned from its second tour of duty in Iraq where members helped train the Iraqi army in the south of the country. The battalion is now back at its base in Celle, north Germany.

Denis Foran, 64, from South Wigston, served in Borneo and Northern Ireland with the Royal Leicestershire Regiment the Tigers which was amalgamated into the Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964.

The former sergeant said today's soldiers had to deal with more than any since the Second World War.

He said: "It's great to see the general public has responded well.

"It's very important for families to get this kind of support because it can be very hard for them to cope.

"Iraq and Afghanistan are probably the biggest conflicts we've seen for British soldiers since the Second World War."

Captain Martyn Cook, a battalion adjutant, came up with the idea for the wristbands. He said: "We're delighted we've reached the target. The cash will be well spent supporting our soldiers and their families."

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