Every member of 1st Bn Royal Anglian Regiment, based in Bulford, Wiltshire, will be given a Real Easter Egg, the UK's only religious-themed festive egg.

The giveaway is the brainchild of Baptist army chaplain Revd Martyn Groves with support from Circle Express and The Meaningful Chocolate Company, which has donated 650 eggs.

A number of churches, including Gold Hill Baptist Church (where Martyn used to be a pastor) and Minchinhampton Baptist Church have also contributed.

These donations have meant that Martyn was also able to distribute the Real Easter Egg at the Help for Heroes Recovery Centre in Tidworth.

Martyn said, 'I can think of no better welcome than an Easter egg which has the Bible story on the box and its message of hope and new life.

'These men, women and their families have sacrificed a great deal to serve their country. They know what it means to be in a hard place and it is right that we should say thanks to them in a fun but meaningful way.'

David Marshall from the Meaningful Chocolate Company added, 'We are delighted to help by making a special batch of our Real Easter Eggs for the troops. Like our other eggs there is an activity pack in the box, it's made from Fairtrade chocolate and we will make a charitable donation for each egg given.'

The Real Easter Egg is the UK's only charity, Fairtrade egg to explain the meaning of Easter on the box. Major supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury are stocking it for the first time this Easter.

The egg was launched in 2011. More than £60,000 will have been donated to Traidcraft Exchange from sales by Easter 2013. Traidcraft help small-scale farmers and producers in the developing world gain the knowledge and confidence they need to trade their way out of poverty.