THE daughter of a fallen Prestonpans soldier presented a cheque for nearly £4,000 to an armed forces charity thanks to the generosity and spirit of her late father’s colleagues in The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Meghan Mathews, 11, presented the cheque to Scotty’s Little Soldiers at Edinburgh Castle.

Meghan’s father Sergeant Jon Mathews joined The Royal Scots before the formation of The Royal Regiment in 2006. He was killed in action in 2008 while serving with The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment (4 SCOTS) in Afghanistan.

Meghan touched everyone when she laid a wreath during one of the nation’s biggest Remembrance Day Services in Edinburgh in 2014 wearing her father’s medals before reading out Binyon’s famous For The Fallen.

Sergeant Major John Knox, ex-Royal Scots himself and now serving with The Highlanders in Catterick in Yorkshire, was the driving force behind the ‘Jon Mathews Memorial Golf Day’.

Together with Colour Sergeant Gregg Cliff, he approached benefactors across Scotland and the north east of England for donations for an auction and raffle, held after the golf tournament in April, which raised the substantial amount for the charity.

Sergeant Mathews’ widow Shona attended the golf day and presented a silver trophy donated by the whole Mathews family to the winning golfer. The tournament will now be an annual event in 4 SCOTS’ calendar.

Sergeant Major Knox said: “We are a family regiment and this was an opportunity for us to celebrate the life of one of our own and do some good for bereaved children. It was also a way of making sure that Shona and Meghan feel part of the regiment. We worked hard to get as many people from within the army who knew Jon well together in one place, including some of those who were serving with him when he fell.”

Shona said: “I can’t thank Sergeant Major Knox and 4 SCOTS enough for organising the golf day and for raising this money. It was great that so many of the younger lads who may not have even known Jon personally turned out to support the event.

“Most importantly, the day was all about Jon, so it was a very emotional.

“Scotty’s Little Soldiers are a fantastic charity and have been great to Meghan.

"Meghan was only three when Jon was killed. She is wanting to know more about her father, so it is good to be able to tell her about this link with the regiment and to know that the Jon Mathews Trophy is going to be presented every year in memory of him.”

The charity supports children who have lost a parent while serving in the armed forces.