SOLDIERS separated from their families this Christmas have been sent a message of support by the Archbishop of York.

The video message by Dr John Sentamu has been produced as part of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) campaign to send one million messages of goodwill to UK troops serving abroad.

In his message, Dr Sentamu describes our soldiers as “the best and bravest servicemen in the world” and said we all owe a massive debt of gratitude.

He said: “It must be so hard to leave the ones you love behind to go out and serve your country – putting your lives at risk on a daily basis to protect our freedoms,” he said.

“You are real heroes. Thank you. And keep going for it.”

The MoD’s Faces For The Forces campaign is aiming to collect a million goodwill messages and the Archbishop’s message will form part of a film that the Ministry of Defence will send to all barracks in Afghanistan and other areas where British troops are based.

For more information on the campaign, visit facesfortheforces.com