A GROUP of former colleagues are pulling on their walking boots to help raise money for charity.

The four friends, Mike Hosking, Chris Giles, Mike Smith and Dave Williams, are taking part in the annual Trailwalker event.

The challenge is a gruelling 100km route, which has to be completed in less than 30 hours.

They will be raising cash for the Gurkha Welfare Trust, which provides much-needed support to alleviate hardship and distress among Gurkha ex-servicemen of the British Crown and their dependants after they have returned to their homeland of Nepal.

The four men all worked together in Allied Dunbar's, now Zurich Life, IT department in the late 80s and early 90s.

And it was Mr Hosking, of Taw Hill, that got the group back together for the worthy cause.

The 41-year-old, who also served in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Invincible, now runs the military reunion website ComradesandColleagues.com which raises money for the armed forces benevolent funds.

He was approached by Oxfam, which asked if he would take part in the event to raise money for the Trust.

"I had never done any walking on this scale myself but I remembered the boys.

"I used to work with did a fair bit of hiking so I got in touch to sound them out," said Mr Hosking.

"To be honest I thought it can't be that difficult it's only walking how wrong I was."

The event takes place in six different locations across Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK.

This year's UK event is across the South Downs from Petersfield to Brighton.

It was first held more than 20 years ago by the Queens Gurkha Signals regiment as a training exercise, combining teamwork and endurance.

"The bravery and valour of the Gurkhas is legendary and they provide fantastic service to Britain in conflicts all over the world," said Mr Hosking.

"However what many people don't know is that many Gurkhas return home to Nepal with no pension and along with their families often have to endure extreme hardship."

The group will be starting their trek on July 15 and are hoping to raise £100,000 for the charity.

Anyone who would like to sponsor them can do so by logging on to www.bmycharity.com/V2/Dunbaroldboys