THREE brothers from Worcester will be among hundreds of walkers putting their best foot forward to help prevent child cruelty.

The Malvern Hills Hike Against Cruelty to Kids (HACK) takes place next month with all money raised going to help fund Childline, the UK’s free, confidential helpline dedicated to children and young people.

The 21-mile sponsored challenge walk is on Saturday, June 25, starting from Colwall Village Hall in Malvern.

One local team already signed up is The Three Amigos. Brothers Richard, James and Matthew Gormley of Warndon took part in the HACK last year and enjoyed the challenge so much that they have signed up again.

Richard, a 44-year-old father of two, said: “We had a great time last year – the scenery was beautiful and the camaraderie with the other walkers was great.

“Neither of my brothers are keen walkers but as soon as I explained it was for the NSPCC, they both wanted to do it.

“Even though it was tough in parts, as soon as we finished we knew we were going to sign up again for the 2011 HACK. The NSPCC is a really important charity that does fantastic work with vulnerable children and families so as well as trying to beat our time of six-and-a-half hours, we also want to challenge as many local people as possible to register for this year’s event and help raise money for the NSPCC’s ChildLine service.”

NSPCC local community fundraising manager, Sarah Williams, said: “Last year’s Malvern Hills HACK raised an incredible amount of money, but this year we want to do even better to help the West Midlands ChildLine base answer all calls whenever and however a young person tries to contact them.

“Walking 21 miles is a tough challenge, especially across the Malvern Hills, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to get fit, have fun with friends, or get to know your work colleagues or team-mates better.

“We’ve changed the route from last year so even if people have previously done the Malvern Hills HACK, there’s no excuse not to sign up again. Why not see if you can beat your previous time or challenge friends to also enter a team?”

Registration costs £20. for more information, visit nspcc.org.uk/ malvernhack.