Sending a parcel to Germany may be just the way to boost the morale of troops about to be sent off to Afghanistan.

One mother has taken this a step further and has been sending parcels to her son on the frontline in Afghanistan, the North West Evening Mail reports.

The paper reports that Kingsman Philip Riding of the 1st battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, receives a weekly courier service courtesy of his mother Stephanie.

"I send him boxes of sweets and crisps, but also things like photographs of the family and the newspapers, so he can keep track of what's happening back home," she explained.

She is very proud of her son, but worries about whether he will come home.

Thousands of British Army soldiers are stationed in bases in mainland Europe and sending a parcel to Germany may be one way of making sure they have all the comforts of home before heading off to Afghanistan.

The 1st Armoured Division is stationed in Germany, accounting for most of the UK troops in Nordrhein-Westfalen and Niedersachsen.