CAROLS will ring out tomorrow from the bleak Helmand desert as British troops celebrate Christmas far from home.

Katherine Jenkins, 26, the Welsh opera singer, will lead the singing in a morale-boosting visit to the British base of Camp Bastion. “It would make my tour if I got to meet her,” said Captain Giles Barnett, 27, of the Intelligence Corps.

The carol concert, believed to be the first in Helmand, will take place in the main dining hall after the 2,500 troops have tucked into their turkey dinner served by the officers and NCOs in traditional style. They will also be given a special ration of two cans of beer.