A GUNNISLAKE family is certainly doing its bit for Queen and Country with three siblings following in the military footsteps of their mother and father.

The youngest of Phil and Kath Venning's children, Ruth, 20, who is currently attached to the 1st Rifles, has just returned from a six-month tour in Afghanistan.

And 33-year-old son Philip, a staff sergeant in the Rifles, will be going out next month. Dawn, 24, who is serving with the Fleet Air Arm, is also due to go on operations in March.

It's a tense time for dad Phil, who was a sergeant in the Royal Horse Artillery with 15 years' service under his belt when he came out in 1981 and mum Kath, who served with the Women's Royal Army Corps, but they would not have had it any other way,

'I encouraged my children to go in the forces and it's very much in the family,' he said. 'My three brothers were all in the services. It's a great life.

'Ruth is on the clerical side and Dawn is an aircraft engineer with 814 Squadron in Culdrose. Philip joined up when he was 17 and has already served in Iraq twice, Northern Ireland and Bosnia.'

Mr Venning said Ruth was a bit apprehensive going to Afghanistan: 'It was her first posting and she had never seen service like that but she has handled it well. Kath and I are proud of all of them and what they have achieved.'

The family at home are kept up-to-date with how the children are faring through regular emails.

'It's not like when I was in the services when the only contact when you were away for three or four months at a time was by letter,' added Mr Venning.

Although concerned for his children, Mr Venning said when the going got tough the support from the military and colleagues was unsurpassed.

'My wife and I have been in that situation ourselves and we know the system. There is an awful lot of support and your mates really help you through.

'There are so many advantages to joining the services and I would rather they did that than hang about on the streets. It gives young people a good foundation and independence and a good outlook on life.

'Had she not joined the army, Ruth probably would not have had a job at 19.

'She would just be hanging around the village but now she has thousands of pounds in the bank, she has learnt to drive and has her own car and she has her independence — she has totally changed.'