A BRAVE soldier who lost his legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan has regained consciousness.

Sapper Ashley-James Hall was injured two weeks ago as he searched for roadside bombs in the Helmand province.

He lost his legs as well as suffering retina damage, lower spinal injuries, a severely fractured pelvis, and lost the tips of three fingers and his thumb.

The 20-year-old, who is being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, was critically ill for the first few days, but his father Stephen Hall has revealed his son is now doing as well as can be expected.

A new group, supported by the Gazette, has also been set up to raise funds for him.

Mr Hall said : “He is off the ventilator now and semi-conscious. One relief is that he already knew what had happened to him: when he came round, he knew he had lost his legs.

“He is a character and a fighter and is laughing and joking, which is just Ashley. His goal is to get to the medal ceremony when that comes round.

“He is alive thanks to his team, and I am in contact with them. They are due home in 63 days and the first thing they will do will be to visit him.”

Support for the family, originally from Colchester but who now live in Stratford St Mary, has been pouring in.

Some of Ashley’s former classmates at St Benedict’s College, Colchester, have rallied around to raise money for him.

The group aims to set up a trust fund for Ashley to buy equipment or items he may need when he comes home.

Hannah Sadler, one of the organisers, said: “While I am worrying about writing essays at university, there are people doing something for the country, for the greater good.

“We felt we had to do something. My dad was in the Army for 25 years, so I have always donated to charities such as Help For Heroes.

“I’ve never taken on organising a charity event myself, but I felt I couldn’t ignore this.”

A Facebook events page has been set up, called Fundraising for Ashley!, and is gathering hundreds of followers. Suggestions for events include collections at Tesco, a sponsored run and a family fun day.

Mr Hall is in talks with Colchester Zoo to adopt a meerkat and to put up a plaque in support of Ashley and his team, whose name is the Meerkats.

Details of events will be published in the Gazette.