Bottesford Girls Under-13s send flag to their coach at Camp Bastion

AN RAF Corporal has been spurred on in his tour of Afghanistan with messages of support from his beloved Bottesford football team.

Nige Price, who coaches Bottesford Girls Under-13s, was overwhelmed when a St George's Cross flag arrived at Camp Bastion filled with well wishes.

Nige Price's daughter Jade Price.
TEAM SPIRIT: The Bottesford Under-13s Girls team (from left) Eran Green (kneeling), Athena Green, Nicole Hind, Tonishia Boyle, Jess Barley, Jade Price, Tia West, Laura Sausby, Chloe Barnett, Tia Robinson and Emma Reid (kneeling).
TOUR: Cpl Nige Price. .
MESSAGES: Cpl Nige Price (front left) and his Afghanistan Team from Mechanical Engineering Flight with the Flag given to them by the Bottesford Under-13s Girls Football Team.

Speaking to The Telegraph via satellite phone, Cpl Price said: "It's the thoughtfulness and kind gestures like these that mean so much to troops out here and it makes a hard, difficult and stressful tour much more bearable."

He said the flag will take pride of position in Camp Bastion's coffee house, which is used by all the servicemen there.

"It's nice to know people are thinking of us," he said.

"To be fair, it's the thing that keeps you going while you're out here, knowing that you're going to come home to your family."

His daughter Jade, 12 of Winterton, who is in the team and signed the flag, said: "We put stay safe, we're missing you. It's boring in the summer holidays without him – there's no-one to play with.

"We used to do bike rides and go swimming sometimes as well."

They keep in touch by sending blueys, which are special letters to keep in touch with relatives in the forces. Anyone with a British Forces Post Office number can send and receive the blue pieces of paper. But the flag brought an even bigger smile to Cpl Price's face.

While in Afghanistan, Cpl Price works as a ground electrician, repairing fire engines and generators among other things.

His wife Teresa is the football team's manager. She said: "It's more like a family than a team. It's nice because most of the girls on the team are on Facebook and they've added me and Nige.

"We have little chats and they tell us all the family business.

"They're writing letters to Nige quite a lot and they draw pictures.

"He puts them up round his room and it keeps him going."

She said it is hard for them, as contact with Camp Bastion can be difficult. She may be chatting to her husband on Facebook, and suddenly his internet will cut out.

"I have my Help For Heroes bands on all the time until he gets home safe," she said. "Sending things out is starting to catch on in this country.

"We're not supporting them enough.

"Civilians don't realise how much they do."

Cpl Price's niece Emma Reid, 11, also plays for the team, which has been coached by Steve Sausby in Cpl Price's absence.