CHEF Kevin Harford, who can usually be found cooking up tasty dishes at Sixways, will be walking along the Great Wall of China in October to raise money for Acorns Children's Hospice.

The 41-year-old is trying to convert his trek into more than £2,500 for the charity whose latest project is to build a hospice in Worcester.

He has signed up the players to help him out, and has already raised £2,200 through raffles and other events.

"Things have happened so quickly," said Mr Harford, who lives in Warndon Villages.

"There was a brochure about the walk in the club's reception area, and our commercial manager said he could imagine me doing something like that.

"Before I knew it, the forms had been sent off and I'm on the walk."

The West Bromwich Albion supporter said he remembered the Baggies walking along the Great Wall in 1978.

"That's always stuck in my mind, so I'm going to try and emulate them," he added.

He is already in training for the 60-mile walk.

Mr Harford, who also lectures at Worcester College of Technology, trains at a gym five times a week, working out for around two hours each session. He is also getting used to walking long distances.

The nine-day trek in October will take in a visit to the Terracotta Army and he will also spend a day in Beijing.

"I want to say a big thank you to everyone, people have been so generous," he said.

"I'll be walking every day, so it's not a holiday, as some might think. It's all for a good cause. I'm just glad I started training early because of the heat that we'll be walking through."