Mellksham's Masonic Lodge presented wounded soldier Josh Campbell with £1,500 on Sunday to donate to the Wiltshire Times’ Help For Heroes appeal.

The masons presented Pte Campbell, who lost both legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2009, with the donation before he joined them for Sunday lunch in the Chaloner Lodge on Church Street.

Colin Parfitt, the lodge secretary, said: “A number of us are ex-services and the cause is one very dear to our hearts. We thought it is such a worthy cause it’s the least we could do.

“Some of us have seen Josh around here a few years ago and so we had some personal feeling for him.

“He’s a lovely lad, he really is and he was pleased to accept it.

“We wholeheartedly support what our services are doing and we want to support them as much as possible.”

The donation is made up from the lodge’s charitable fund and money raised by a ladies night and a master’s barbecue and fun day held recently.

The money will be put towards the planned Tidworth personnel recovery centre that the Wiltshire Times is hoping to raise £50,000 for via our appeal.

Pte Campbell, 20, who serves in 23 Pioneer Regiment and is recuperating at the Headley Court personnel recovery centre in Surrey, said: “I thought it was brilliant that they managed to raise that for Help For Heroes.

“The meal afterwards was very nice, I knew a few of them from around town but I didn’t know any of them by name, so it was nice to meet them and have a chat whilst eating.

“I would like to thank the masons for the donation, and anybody else who raises money for Help For Heroes.”

l Kingsdown Golf Club near Box is to host an all-day event on Saturday, July 24, as part of a national golf day in aid of Help for Heroes.

The Kingsdown day will involve a team golf event, a hole-in-one competition for a BMW car, various stalls and a hog roast organised by members of the ladies’ section.