STAFF at a Witney bank have raised more than £4,500 for British troops in tribute to a fallen Oxfordshire marine.

Jason Mackie, from Bampton, died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in May 2009, aged 21.

Staff at Lloyds TSB in Witney, where Jason’s mother Lee Mackie is a customer, were so moved by his sacrifice they immediately vowed to raise money to help soldiers injured in conflict.

Earlier this month, they held a black tie ball, where Mrs Mackie was the guest of honour, and raised £4,700 for the Help for Heroes charity.

Mrs Mackie, who lives in Bampton, said the event had been amazing.

She added: “The more people do these things, the more our troops will know they are being thought of.

“I have had nothing but amazing support, love and understanding wherever I go and to me it is really heart-warming to know how much people care.”

The massive fundraising effort was led by the bank’s senior manager Ann Cornelius who said the whole community, including many businesses, had supported the fundraiser as many had connections with the forces or RAF Brize Norton.

She added: “Jason Mackie died in Afghanistan at the age of 21 and I was moved by his story. I suggested to the staff that we hold a charity ball in aid of Help for Heroes.”

Mrs Cornelius said businesses in the area donated raffle prizes ranging from Oxford United memorabilia to a holiday in Tenerife.

Staff themselves donated luxury food and Champagne to make up two large hampers.

The black tie ball was held at Witney Lakes and was a complete sell-out.

Mrs Cornelius said: “There’s real feeling for the troops out there and what they are going through.

“As civilians, we wanted to help out and we felt this was something we could do to raise money and awareness of the Help for Heroes charity, l Dave Lewis, a chief technician at RAF Lyneham, is the new Help for Heroes representative for Oxfordshire.

CT Lewis, from Carterton, has served in Afghanistan.

If anyone is planning an event for Help for Heroes, contact CT Lewis on davelewis547@hotmail.com