Mechanic Sarah Dorey, a member of the Northampton-based 118 Territorial Army unit, is currently in Helmand Province helping to fix combat vehicles.

By using the Storybook Soldiers service, Mrs Dory has been able to record a bedtime story which is then put on a CD and sent to her home in Brafield-on-the-Green where her three children, Emily, aged 10 and twins Thomas and Jessica, aged five, can listen to it.

Lee Dorey said: "They are actually their favourite stories that have been read several times so they can look at the books and follow the story with the pictures.

"I think my eldest daughter is a bit surprised when she heard the CD but the youngest two really enjoy it. They all listen to it every so often and at any time of day. It is really good that the kids can hear her voice whenever they want to"

Mrs Dorey is due to fly back home for a period of rest and recuperation in January but said she was glad that her children were still able to hear her voice even if she was not with them for Christmas this year.

Speaking from Afghanistan, Mrs Dorey, said: "It is nice that they get to hear my voice even though I am thousands of miles away.

"You get phone calls during the week but they can be quite short and they can be tired. So in their own time they can listen to my voice and listen to their favourite stories at the same time."

Storybook soldiers was set up at the beginning of 2007 by Kirsty Alderson and Rosemary Meeke, who work in the Army Education Centre in Tidworth, Hampshire.

Once the story has been recorded, music and sound effects are added by trained volunteer editors with no cost to the soldier.

Storybook Soldiers The scheme is now available across the Army and has been copied by the Royal Navy and the RAF.