AFTER three years of living in a tiny fishing cottage which was overrun with parcels and goods, the regional organiser of a charity helping the Armed Forces is celebrating the opening of a new office.

Sue Robinson, of Mousehole, is the Cornwall co-ordinator of Support Our Soldiers (SOS), a charity which sends care packages out to service personnel serving in Afghanistan.

And having "lived like a mouse in a storeroom" for the past few years, she is delighted that SOS has chosen Cornwall as one of only five locations in the UK for a regional office – opposite the Magistrates' Courts at St John's Hall, Penzance.

SOS is one of only two charities which, apart from parents and relatives, is able to send parcels out to servicemen in Afghanistan and the Cornish branch sends out 50 every month, rising to a massive 1,500 in the period before Christmas. Explaining how she got involved with SOS, Sue said: "I'd retired from work and had nothing to do.

"But, coming from a military family, I thought that I would send out a few parcels and it's mushroomed from there.

"There's still an awful lot of boys and girls from the South West serving in Afghanistan and it's good that people in Cornwall are so supportive."

The parcels SOS sends out contain items which aim to make life a little easier for a serviceman or woman – everything from chocolate to toothpaste, sweets to playing cards, and toiletries to DVDs.

They're all sent off in a small shoebox weighing no more than two kilogrammes.

And Sue is asking anyone interested in organising a collection to get in touch with her before they start. She is also appealing for volunteers, particularly during November, who can help process the parcels.

"People give us big boxes of shortbread or chocolate and large jigsaws but they just cannot be fitted into the parcels," she said.

"We have to go through every single parcel and check the contents and it's a very time-consuming and labour-intensive job."

Now settled in the new office, Sue says that her next step will be to raise awareness of the charity still further. "We're at Stithians Showground next month, sharing the site with the Armed Forces," she said. "But there's lots of other events we would like to attend."

If you would like to help SOS in any way – and that includes a plea from Sue Robinson for businesses to help contribute to the office rent – contact her on 01736 359052 or e-mail sue@supportoursoldiers.co.uk