AN elderly couple who started supporting a veterans charity after their son-in-law was killed while serving in Afghanistan have now raised an incredible £270,000 in 12 years.

Mike and Sue Jackson started fundraising for Help for Heroes in January 2012 after their son-in-law, colour serjeant Kevin Fortuna, was killed by a roadside bomb in May 2011.

Sergeant Fortuna, who was 37, joined the army aged 16 and also served in Iraq, Kosovo, and the Balkans.

After his death, Serjeant Fortuna’s family started fundraising for Help for Heroes, and accumulated £174,000 in donations by 2018.

Gazette: Missed – Kevin Fortuna, Mike and Sue Jackson's son-in-law, was killed by a roadside bomb in 2011Missed – Kevin Fortuna, Mike and Sue Jackson's son-in-law, was killed by a roadside bomb in 2011 (Image: Public)

Over 2023, Mr and Mrs Jackson managed to raise a total of £17,728 – the highest they have amassed in a calendar year since 2019.

Mr Jackson said: “Times are still hard for everybody but people in Colchester really support us – people are incredibly generous considering the times we are in.

“When we first started, we used to get a lot more donations because there was a lot more copper change – a lot of people apologise to us and say they don’t really carry cash anymore.”

Donations often come from collection days when Mr and Mrs Jackson, who live in Lexden, Colchester, are in Tesco and Asda supermarkets.

Events at Castle Park in the summer also contribute to plenty of donations, whilst money regularly drips in via collection boxes in shops.

Mr Jackson, now 74, explained that when he sees the ways in which the Help for Heroes charity helps ex-servicemen and women, he feels encouraged to keep going.

Gazette: Dedicated – collections often take place at Tesco, Asda, and at Castle Park in the summer monthsDedicated – collections often take place at Tesco, Asda, and at Castle Park in the summer months (Image: Mike and Sue Jackson)

He added: “We keep saying we will reassess at the end of the year – it does get a little bit more difficult, but if you sit down whilst taking donations it looks like you’re not putting in any effort.

“We saw a Help for Heroes video this Christmas showing how people are helped by all the funds we raise and how soldiers will need help for generations to come, so there’s no end in sight.

“Conflict affects people differently, though we will never be able to find out it would have affected our son [in-law], and how.

“Some people handle it, and some people don’t.”