FOOTBALL hero Sir Geoff Hurst has hailed a company's employees hat-trick heroes after they helped smash an annual fund-raising target three years in a row.

England's 1966 World Cup star praised staff at TNT Express Services, on the Hartlebury Trading Estate for helping the company to raise £285,358 for the Wooden Spoon, helping disadvantaged youngsters across the country.

Staff at TNT's 70 locations have worked tirelessly to smash an annual target of £250,000, organising a host of fund-raising events such as summer balls and non-uniform days.

Sir Geoff congratulated TNT's managing director Tom Bell as he unveiled the final figure at the company's annual golf tournament in Warwickshire.

"TNT employees are clearly a very dedicated, generous and resourceful group of people and it speaks volumes that, not only are they the biggest cash contributors to Wooden Spoon, but they keep on beating their previous best."

This year's donation was the largest received by the charity in its 23-year history.

Mr Bell thanked the staff for their hard work.

"This is quite simply an incredible achievement by our people and I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of such a remarkable effort," he said.