TWO teenagers who walked from the Malvern Hills to the Black Mountains of Wales have raised at least £400 for Acorns Children's Hospice.

Chris Bellamy, aged 16, of Suckley and Malvern's Henry Fuller, 17, covered the 50-mile trek from Worcestershire Beacon to Hay Bluff in two days. The pair carried balloons tied to their rucksacks, marked with the names of sponsors. The one that survived the longest won a bottle of champagne.

The first stage took them two hours' walk beyond Hereford, until they found a place to camp for the night.

Chris said: "Walking into the sunset was spectacular, looking behind us we could see the Malverns as a tiny lump on the horizon. We could not believe that we had got that far. It was hugely satisfying realising we had literally walked as far as the eye could see under our own steam."

The next day, they rose at 6am and, although the weather grew hot and their feet were blistered, they ploughed on towards their target.

"The walk became progressively more hilly as we headed for Wales, but the miles flew by and before we knew it we had climbed over 600 metre and reached our goal," said Chris. "Once we reached the summit we felt a huge sense of achievement. Overall, we had walked 50 miles and we certainly knew it. We're very grateful to receive so much support from sponsors."

If anyone would like to add to the final amount, visit www.justgiving.com/beacontobluff.