AN intrepid team of seven from Worcester and Stourport-on-Severn will be putting on their hiking gear and are on target to raise well over £1,500 for local charity Acorns Children's Hospice.

The team from Thomas Vale Construction will climb the three largest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales - Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon on Friday and will complete the challenge in just 24 hours.

Mark Hudgeon, Thomas Vale team member, said: "There are three reasons we are doing this challenge, the first is to keep us fit and healthy, the second is to use this opportunity as a team-building session and the most important reason is to raise money for a local charity and benefit those families and children who use its facilities on a day- to-day basis."

Acorns Children's Hospice currently cares for more than 500 life-limited children in the West Midlands and further afield. Acorns offers a network of care services through its three hospices in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester.

The Acorns community team provides support to the whole family at home, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It costs Acorns £4,500 a day for each hospice to provide these services free of charge to families, and it receives very little of its funding from the Government, relying almost entirely on community donations.

Thomas Vale Construction has worked in the area for more than 138 years and as all generations of employees are locally based they understand the need to cater for and look after those facilities on their doorstep which provide respite and care to children and families all over the county.