METAL roses have been flourishing in the Afghan desert thanks to the skills of a Torquay engineer.

Stuart Atkinson is a Royal Electrical and Mechanical engineer from the Tidworth-based 6th Battalion REME and is currently serving with the Grenadier Guards as part of Battle Group Centre South in Nad e Ali in the middle of Helmand Province.

The former pupil from Westlands school in Torquay is the chief metalsmith for the British forces' Forward Operating Base in Shawqat.

The 27-year-old is responsible for repairs and manufacture of anything made of metal, including work on the Mastiff and Ridgeback armoured vehicles or making new additions to the gym.

Stuart said when he gets some free time he creates metal roses.

The roses have taken off so much, Stuart is now running metal courses for soldiers at the base so they can send the roses to their loved ones.

Stuart said: "The roses are made out of copper and brass. The most time consuming thing is having to cut the petals out of the brass sheets and the decorative detail which goes on to the stems and leaves.

"Once they have all been prepared, then it is simply a case of moulding them and welding it all together.

"They are quite unique and something I think most wives or girlfriends would appreciate. The fact they know the rose has been made by their soldier out here in Helmand might mean a lot more to them than a normal bunch of roses would."

Stuart never studied metalwork at school, but always had an aspiration to be good with his hands and be able to build things from the materials given to me.

He joined the army as an electrical engineer in August 2003.

Stuart said: "No two jobs are ever the same. The varieties of the tasks which land in my workshop are immense.

"Many a long hour has been spent lying under a vehicle with my welding gear and equipment repairing the bar armour.

"However the job satisfaction I can get from seeing a damaged Mastiff come in, get repaired, and roll out again to provide the protected mobility the infantry desires, is greatly rewarding."

Stuart, whose parents still live in Torquay, will be returning to the UK in January and is looking forward to being reunited with his girlfriend, Sam, who lives in Newton Abbot.