Family of Afghanistan victim raise £51,000 for Help for Heroes

A family in Essex has managed to raise £51,000 for Help for Heroes following the death of 36-year-old colour sergeant Kevin Fortuna.

His father-in-law Mike Jackson and the rest of the family initially set a target of £10,000 for their fundraising efforts in his memory, but have now collected more than five times that amount.

They have raised money in a variety of ways, most notably through sponsorship and collection.

Speaking about the total, Mr Jackson told the BBC: "We could never have dreamed of that. If we can do it once, we can do it twice. We are now aiming at £100,000."

Colour sergeant Fortuna was leading a patrol with the 1st Battalion The Rifles when he was killed in a blast in Helmand Province in May 2011.

His father-in-law described it as an "unlucky day", when he stood on an improvised explosive device by chance and suffered the tragic consequences.