BRITAIN’S first specialist recovery centre for wounded service personnel has opened – in honour of a Colchester-based soldier who died in Afghanistan.

A whole series of Mark Wright House centres will soon be opening across the country – including one in Colchester, Army and charity chiefs say.

The first Mark Wright House, named in honour of Corporal Mark Wright, of 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, opened in Edinburgh yesterday.

It will provide “a launch pad to recovery” for seriously-wounded soldiers looking to return to duty or start a new life as a civilian.

The 12-bed unit has been created by a partnership between the Army and military charities Help for Heroes and Erskine Homes.

Speaking at the launch, Defence Minister Kevan Jones said the MoD was “constantly reviewing how best to support our injured people” and hailed the centre’s opening as “an important new initiative”.

Help for Heroes says it already has the funds to open a second centre, in Colchester, and is working on detailed plans with the Army.

Work could start later this year, on MoD land near Merville Barracks, with the centre opening next winter if there are no hitches.

The £5million centre would care for as many as 20 servicemen and women and offer counselling, career management and resettlement help in a military environment close to their unit and garrison.

Previously, when troops have been discharged, they have simply gone home, leaving families to struggle with a range of problems.

Bryn Parry, co-founder of Help for Heroes, said: “We are now well on the way to raising £20million to fund further centres across the UK, to ensure that anyone wounded serving their country has access to the very best facilities.”

As well as Colchester, centres are planned in Catterick, Tidworth, Aldershot and close to military bases in Northern Ireland and Germany.

Corporal Mark Wright was killed in September 2006, when a patrol by 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment troops, strayed into an unmarked minefield in southern Afghanistan.

The 27-year-old was posthumously awarded the George Cross in recognition of the courage he showed trying to save fellow soldiers injured in the incident.

His parents, Bob and Jem Wright, from Edinburgh, launched the Mark Wright Project after his death, to provide advice, support and services to soldiers suffering as a result of their experiences.

Competitions and a family fun day, were organised by 3 Para, in Colchester, to raise money for the charity.

Speaking at the opening of the first recovery centre, founder of Help for Heroes Bryn Parry said: “Mark died as a hero.

"He must be remembered as a hero and this is a monument to him and all those other heroes like him. In the same way Mark chose to risk everything to help his friends, we must act like heroes to support our wounded.”