Children and families missing their loved ones on military service abroad will soon have their own personalised recordings to remember them by.

The Storybook Wings project, based on a similar Prison Service scheme, was launched this month at RAF Brize Norton. Base commander Group Captain Malcolm Brecht opened a recording studio where volunteers will record messages, also adding songs and other favourite sounds.

Brize Norton, the biggest military base in the country, has about 4,000 serving men and women and is involved in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is the first RAF station to start the Storybook Wings scheme.

Gp Cpt Brecht said: "Something which will lessen the impact of separation on families is of genuine value."