A FALLEN hero killed in Afghanistan has had a new fitness centre opened in his honour at Westcliff Rugby Club.

Lt Aaron Lewis, 26, of 29 Commando Royal Artillery, died on 15 December, 2008, when his base in the Gereshk area of Helmand Province came under attack.

The soldier, from Rochford, was “greatly respected” with his commanding officer stating he was hit by a “freak” bullet outside Lt Lewis’s inquest.

The soldier played for Westcliff Rugby Club for a decade before his death.

In tribute, the club has now opened a new player fitness centre in tribute to Lt Lewis.

The facility – called Aaron’s Gym – features equipment including weights, rowing machines and punch bags and will enable to the club’s players to keep in shape off the field.

All the kit was donated by the Aaron Lewis Foundation.

The gym project came about in 2013 when Westcliff Rugby Club received confirmation they would be moving home due to a business regeneration project around their current base.

Officials from the club and the foundation then began discussions as to how they could work together on something in Aaron’s memory.

Simon Jones, a foundation trustee and ex-Westcliff player, said: “Over the last 12 months, we have been working with the committee and Origin Fitness to have a gym that is fit for purpose and to provide a safe fitness facility for the club and its up-and-coming players.

“We hope that the club’s youth will use the new gym to grow as players and to keep themselves fit and healthy.”

The opening, which took place at the weekend, comes on the 11th anniversary of his death in Afghanistan on his first operational deployment.

On the day of his death, the soldier had left a gym session having been alerted to the attack, when the bullet was fired from a gun positioned about half-a-mile outside the base.

Army-issued body and head protection would have been close to hand, but he was unable to put them on before being struck. During his inquest, it was stated that “it was a one in a million round that hit him”.