ARMY medals gathering dust in a trophy cabinet were the inspiration behind a former Army Officer's new jewellery line commemorating medals gained through service.

Ash Loudon has designed Valour Bands, a charm bracelet that reunites personnel to their military history and creates a way for stories to be shared.

Valour bands uses the design of military medals to recreate the awards in jewellery form. The bracelet has links that can be interchanged to include an individual’s own military history.

Mr Louden, 42, of Aldbourne said: “I served for 18 years and I saw that my medals were just sitting in a cupboard not being seen apart from on Remembrance Day. I wanted to create a better way of commemorating service in a day to day way.”

Now his mum wears a bracelet showing off her son’s medals with pride and one of his customers has three generations of military service symbolised in a bracelet.

The company has even enlisted the services of Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, a social enterprise of Royal British Legion Industries, where ex-military personnel work in the product’s production line.

Mr Loudon continued: “There is a great circularity because part of our production line is carried out by the The Royal British Legion Industries, so we hope that as sales take off we can create more work and in doing so increase our work with the British Legion.

“To be able to partner with them is fantastic.

“It’s really important to our business is that it is made in Britain.

“The bands are definitely a talking point because the medal ribbons colours are so recognisable to people in the military that they immediately recognise them. It creates a connection to the military community and the service that they did.

“To hear people’s stories and why they are buying the bracelets really makes it all worthwhile.

“Another said that the bracelet was a metaphor for the service that he carried out. It is amazing to hear feedback like this.”

He saw operational service in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and is also the recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.

Valour Bands can be configured with any medal ribbon, rank and qualification badge from WW1 onwards as well as a small number of civilian awards for emergency services and the prison services.

The company has been over two years in the making, and Mr Louden has put part of its success down to his fiancé Nicky Phillips, as the pair together negotiated launching the new venture.

Find out more by visiting www.valourbands.co.uk