The vast distance between Scotland and Afghanistan has been bridged to a small extent thanks to the efforts of the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) at Perth Races.
The station, which broadcasts across the globe, offered racegoers the chance to record messages to loved ones who are serving in Afghanistan.
Someone who took advantage on Wednesday was Marion Littlejohn of Aberdeen, who made a poignant recording for her best friend’s son Lee Mackie, a sapper in Camp Bastion.
She said, “My best friend Sheila Mackie is Lee’s mum and I spent a lot of time with him as a youngster. He has a wife and child in Lanarkshire and it can be a bit of a struggle for these young men.
“He finishes in September but I was delighted to do this on behalf of his mum because it can make all the difference to hear a familiar voice.
“I just said to him: we are all thinking of him and hope he and his comrades stay safe and that it won’t be long until he’s back home in the arms of loved ones, and that we appreciate the job they are all doing.”
Chris Pratt of BFBS said, “We’ve had a steady flow of people who have recorded messages and it is so important to them and those receiving them. Some do get quite emotional but that just shows what it means to them.
“We had one older guy in earlier whose son is in the RAF at Camp Bastion and he recorded a message and that was very touching.
“BFBS is a real link to home for the guys serving in Afghanistan and anywhere else in the world. Because we are on digital radio we can be picked up anywhere.”
Dundee-based BFBS DJ Lynne Duffus said, “Family and friends in the UK can listen and hear what’s going on in everyday life for the soldiers.
“Usually all you hear is the bad news but we are covering all angles of camp life to give a different feeling about Afghanistan and what’s happening there.”
BFBS was at the racecourse as part of its Forces Day, which included stretcher races down the final furlong, scarlet-uniformed soldiers on horseback and the Kinlochard Ceilidh Band.
One of the races was sponsored by ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, which aims to cope with a 30% increase in applications for help from troops and to double its fund-raising to £14 million per year by 2015.Find out more about the British Forces Broadcasting Service at www.bfbs.com