WOOTTON Bassett could soon be awash with red every Friday as a scheme to show respect to serving troops gathers pace.

The concept of Red Fridays is the brainchild of local businessman Brian Pickering who wanted to do use the town’s role in repatriation ceremonies to draw support all military personnel.

The project has been widely supported by townsfolk who have started to wear red clothes and accessories on Fridays, along with staff at a number of businesses lining the High Street.

Mr Pickering has joined forces with town councillor Chris Wannell to spread the word of the campaign in a bid to get every person in the town to don a red item every Friday.

They have handed out leaflets to those interested and told people about the way they can show a silent support for troops just by changing what they wear one day a week.

Mr Pickering said: “There are three situations for people affected; via the repatriations, amputees and service people who are serving overseas - we should show support for all of them.

“It is continuously on people’s minds, especially here in Bassett and there have been quite a lot of people wearing red in Bassett.

“What we want to get across is that we want this to happen every single Friday.

“It is not about money or anything like that, but about involvement.”

The town is a focal point for the entire country every time a soldier is repatriated and has been at the centre of several campaigns and schemes to acknowledge the role the town plays.

Coun Wannell said: “I’m very pleased with it and there are a number of shops whose staff were wearing something red or had something red on them.

“There have been quite a few people in town wearing red.

“We want to push it forward and want it to go across the whole country. I think it will catch on.”

On Thursday the bodies of Sgt Paul Fox, 34, of 28 Engineer Regiment, Rifleman Martin Kinggett, 19, of 4th Battalion The Rifles and SAC Luke Southgate, 20, of the RAF Regiment, will be repatriated.

As has become custom, the High Street is likely to be lined with hundreds of people paying their personal tributes to the fallen heroes.