A SERVING soldier in Afghanistan has taken to the airwaves by launching a radio station in Helmand Province.

Captain Richard Jakeman, who is originally from Radlett, is on his first tour of duty with the Territorial Army and has set up the station for the Afghan people.

To coincide with the station's launch, the 34-year-old captain, who studied at the University of Hertfordshire, has distributed more than 200 handheld windup radios to the local population.

Radio Nad e Ali, set up by the district governor, now broadcasts for ten hours a day, which includes pre-recorded entertainment and programmes on basic healthcare and arithmetic, as well as the latest releases in Pashtu and Indian music. The remaining four hours is broadcast live by an Afghan DJ who plays music and presents local news, with future plans for phone-ins and dedications.

Captain Jakeman, who is the Influence Officer for the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, said: "The early indications are that the station is popular, especially the music of some of the Afghan pop stars!"

He added: "There have been frustrating moments when trying to set up the station, principally in obtaining specialist radio equipment in the middle of a conflict, but I am proud of the radio station and what it provides to the district governor and his local community."

He said they were clear they did not want Radio Nad e Ali to be seen as International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) propaganda and added: "The insurgents banned anything like this - people were not allowed to listen to the radio.

"It is thanks to the security improvements made by ISAF troops that the people have the confidence to listen to the radio without fear of insurgent intimidation."

Captain Jakeman joined the TA in 1996 as a private soldier and was commissioned as an officer in 2003.

Back in the UK, Captain Jakeman is a Territorial Army Officer with the Honourable Artillery Company, based in the City of London, and works as a senior product manager with a broadcasting company.