SOLDIERS in Afghanistan will receive spicy Christmas gifts from regulars at a north Hampshire pub.

The idea came to Maria and Gerry Murphy, of Great Oaks Chase, Chineham, after stumbling on a website for Support Our Soldiers’ (SOS) Christmas Parcel Appeal.

The couple decided to put together a few parcels of festive gifts for troops in Afghanistan.

But after putting up a poster in their local pub, the Bolton Arms, in The Street, Old Basing, they collected enough goods for 121 boxes.

Mr Murphy, 44, said: “We were overwhelmed by the support shown. We ran out of boxes!”

The couple have spent the last four weeks putting together, wrapping and weighing boxes to the charity’s requirements.

The boxes were supplied by a local business and each parcel also contains a Christmas card featuring a snowy photograph of the pub, snapped by Bolton Arms regular Tony Tuck.

Mr Murphy said: “We were going to collect 21 boxes, just because we thought that would make a nice pyramid, but the appeal took off.

“The requests soldiers make are for basic things like toiletries and sweets to give to kids out there and Christmas hats, and also things like curry powder for them to spice up their rations.

“It’s things that we take for granted.”

He added: “It’s nice to have been able to do something for them. So maybe one day one of the soldiers will drop in at the Bolton Arms for a pint!”

Left over items will be donated to a local Help the Aged branch and Basingstoke hospital.

SOS is a charity officially registered in 2007, which encourages and provides support for British troops serving overseas.

More information about the charity is at supportoursoldiers.co.uk.