A SOLDIER who lost his foot after being blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan is fighting fit again.

Bret Leahy, of Charfield, said he feels very lucky after surviving the explosion, which killed one of his colleagues and injured another.

Bret, 21, was close to death after he was caught in a vehicle that drove over a pressure pad bomb on New Year's Day, but has since made a staggering recovery from his injuries.

The explosion left him in a coma for 14 days and unable to move for almost three months as he recovered from a fractured spine, head injuries and the amputation of the lower part of his right leg.

Just six months on and through sheer determination and a natural inclination to be continually active, Bret is walking again with his new lightweight replacement leg.

"At the time it was very hit and miss whether I would be paralysed from the injuries but my spine is still recovering," said Bret, a former student at Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School.

"I feel very lucky, I can walk, drive and do all the things I want to do."

For his parents Lorraine and Dave the ordeal was their worst nightmare.

"We had someone turn up at our house in the evening on New Year's Day to say Bret had been injured," said Lorraine.

"They came back the next day and said it was very serious and it was just a horrible feeling."

Bret, who joined the army aged 18, was flown back to Britain and taken to Birmingham's military hospital where he remained for the next three months. His parents stayed with him for the duration and say they were amazed by the support they received from the military.

"We couldn’t have done it without them, they found us somewhere to stay and fed us and helped us with travel," said Lorraine.

"We also had amazing support from the local community and people left us presents and cards, which has meant so much to us.

"We were so numb when we found out about Bret, we didn’t know whether he was going to survive. It is just your worst nightmare."

Bret now spends every other month at a military rehabilitation centre, which is funded by the charity Help For Heroes. The charity also paid for a trip to America recently where Bret got to try out paralympic sports.

He hopes that soon he can go back to work with his battalion the 1st Rifles, based in Chepstow.

"I won’t be going back to the frontline but I will be able to go on operations working in different roles," added Bret.

Despite recent media reports about the need for more equipment and helicoptors for British troops, Bret believes they have everything they need to operate.

"If they gave us any more equipment we wouldn’t be able to move around, helicopters keep you off the ground but they have to set you down at one point and you will have to face the risks on foot."

He also believes the military action in Afghanistan is making a real difference. "One week an area will be full of Taliban and after a surge of troops a week later there are families and children playing there instead," added Bret.

In response to the amazing support Bret has received his dad Dave, and some friends, are going to climb Snowdon with 40lb packs on their back on August 8 to raise money for Help For Heroes.

To sponsor Dave and help raise money for the charity log on to www.justgiving.com/pete-tompkins