THE father of British hostage Mark Henderson, who was held captive by Colombian rebels for 102 days, has spoken exclusively to the Journal about life in Amesbury and the news that his son would be home in time for Christmas.

Christopher Henderson and his family lived in Kitchener Road, Amesbury, between 1977 and 1985, while he served as a flight lieutenant navigator on the Tornado programme, at Boscombe Down.

His wife, Sharelle, worked as secretary to one of the auctioneers at Woolley & Wallis and was Akela of the Amesbury Cubs, a role in which she proved very popular.

It was through her work with the cubs that Mr Henderson became a great supporter of the Amesbury Scouts, accompanying them on several expeditions and helping out whenever he could. "They used to take me along as head cook and bottle-washer when they went on camp," said Mr Henderson, speaking to the Journal from his home in Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire.

"My wife supported me in my air force work, so I supported her in her Cub work."

Mark, who was six when the family moved to the area, attended Amesbury Church of England Junior School and was a keen member of the town's cub pack.

He and his older brother, James, later moved to a boarding school in Yorkshire, but often joined in with various scout activities when they came home for the holidays. Mr Henderson said he had many fond memories of Amesbury and surrounding area and were it not for the fact he was a Yorkshireman, he would definitely have retired to Wiltshire.

"We had a wonderful time down there," he said.

"It's just such a beautiful part of the country, particularly for walking."

The family still enjoys the occasional holiday around Salisbury and catching up with old friends, many of whom sent letters of support to Mr and Mrs Henderson when Mark was held captive by rebels from the National Liberation Army.

The 32-year-old television producer had been trekking to the 2,500-year-old Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) ruins in the northern Sierra Nevada when he and seven others were kidnapped at gunpoint on September 12.

Throughout his ordeal, he was made to hike long hours through the jungle, while army helicopters scoured the mountain to try and locate him.

He was finally released on Monday, December 22, following weeks of painstaking negotiations between the Catholic Church and rebel group, which said its motivation for the kidnapping was to draw attention to the problems faced by local communities in the Sierra Nevada.

"His release was just fantastic," said Mr Henderson.

"A week before, it looked as though it wasn't going to happen - the rebels had promised it would and then because of the danger from the army, they said they weren't going to release him.

"It was very last-minute."

Mark was reunited with his family on Christmas Eve and has spent the past two weeks enjoying his freedom.

"He's remarkably well, considering what he's been through," said Mr Henderson

"He's got a few little worms, but nothing serious - mentally he's very, very alert."

Mr Henderson said that he and his wife had never given up hope throughout their son's three-and-a-half month ordeal.

He said they had taken great comfort from the hundreds of messages of support they received from both friends and strangers.

These included Paul Winder and Tom Hart Dyke, who were seized by Colombian rebels in March 2000 and held hostage for nine months, and Terry Waite.

"We consider ourselves extremely fortunate," said Mr Henderson.

"And to have him home for Christmas was just incredible."