Olympics bosses told a torchbearer whose soldier son almost died in Iraq that she could not wear any branding for the charity Help for Heroes.

Jessica Cheesman will carry the flame past Rochester’s best-known landmarks, including the cathedral and castle, during the torch relay next Friday.

But the mum-of-four has been barred from wearing any visible branding for the soldiers’ charity - not even a wristband.

She has raised £8,000 for the charity after her son Stephen, 25, was severely brain-damaged in a mortar attack in 2007.

Yet she refuses to be beaten –she will dye her hair red, white and blue, the charity’s colours.

"I was incredibly lucky to be chosen,” the 59-year-old said. "As for the branding, it’s a difficult one. We’re doing the torch relay for the Olympics and everyone has a reason for being chosen.

"Many are supporting charities so perhaps it would have been nice to restrict it to wristbands, for example."

The team behind the Games employs lawyers to enforce strict branding rights, protecting the millions spent by official sponsors.

But Jessica joked: "I’ll make the most of it and have a go-faster stripe in my hair. We're also allowed to wear wristbands which aren't visible and there are a lot of places you can put a wristband!"

The UK Border Agency worker will run from Vines Lane to Boley Hill in Rochester, past the cathedral and castle, just after 8.40am. Thousands of people are expected to watch.

Her son, who is wheelchair-bound for life after his injury in the 4 Rifles, is tragically too ill to see his mum make Medway history but will attend an outdoor party at the end of the day in Guildford, Surrey.

"Four years, three weeks and six days after the injury, he said his first word," she said. "Not that I’m counting."

She added: "Help for Heroes have done so much for Stephen, it’s fantastic. For someone who’s been injured and survived, needing help and support that will never stop, I think Help for Heroes has made a real difference."

Alison Richmond, who manages the charity’s Band of Sisters of which Jessica is a member, said: "Her nomination as a torchbearer is a testament to what a remarkable and lovely woman she is."