A SOLDIER who serves with the Royal Signals Regiment in Colerne has raised more than £6,000 for the British Heart Foundation, after he suffered a heart attack on his return from a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The 41-year-old Staff Sergeant, who is not revealing his name because of current heightened Army security, held the auction for the heart charity at a North Wiltshire barracks on Thursday.

He collapsed with the heart attack on his 34th birthday in 2009, and tests later revealed he has a hereditary heart condition that leads to high cholesterol, which also affects his son.

Shocked at having a heart attack out of the blue when he was so young, fit and healthy, he was motivated to raise money and awareness that heart disease isn't just lifestyle-related.

The father-of-two said: "We had just come back from a bad time out there when I had my heart attack in Germany. As soon as it happened to me I tried to get back on my feet as quickly as possible. I was poorly for a couple of weeks but then I started to train myself up and get fit again.

"We have always wanted to give something back to the British Heart Foundation because it is something that is so close to my heart."

He and his wife, who have raised more than £30,000 for other charities including Afghan Heroes in the past, started to plan the auction six months ago by writing to anyone they could.

He said: "We started writing letters and sending them out to everyone we could. We also have a friend up north who has a lot of contacts who helped us out. We also sent off a load of shirts and memorabilia to get signed for the event.

"We had a Manchester United signed top and cap from Ryan Giggs, signed memorabilia from Jamie Carragher, Alan Shearer, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Alex Ferguson, loads of boxers, chefs - everyone really."

The Ryan Giggs cap and shirt captivated the attention of the 200 guests, and was top lot at £390, with a signed Rangers shirt following closely behind on £380.

He said: "We think we have raised about £6,000 and I am going to run the Chippenham half marathon in September for the British Heart Foundation too.

"Fundraising is something you get lots out of and to give something back to the British Heart Foundation and to other people who have had life threatening conditions or injures - we all get something out of that."

Peter Tarrant, fundraising area manager for the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s fantastic news when we hear that someone like this has survived a heart attack and resumed a full and very active life with his family. We can’t express how grateful we are for fundraising events like his, which help fund our life-saving research."