A pupil’s soldier father today visited his Bradford school to describe what it is like to serve in Afghanistan.

Corporal Dean Edward Urch, of A Squadron, the Royal Dragoon Guards, was at Bradford Academy, where his 14-year-old son, also called Dean, is a pupil.

Dean and a group of schoolfriends had spearheaded an appeal to send shoeboxes of gifts out to soldiers in Afghanistan.

Cpl Urch showed the group a video of the soldiers opening their boxes at Christmas.

They had been filled with tasty treats, deodorants, toothpaste and other small luxuries.

He said sweets sent by the school had been given out to Afghan children and talked about the Royal Dragoon Guards’ work helping farmers create wheat farms.

Liz Dunn, pastoral manager for year nine, said: “It was a wonderful lesson he gave.”