15814/5FIRE officer Mervyn Hampshire is seeking sponsors so that he can take part in a nine-day charity ride and trek in Australia to raise money for the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund.

Father-of-two Mr Hampshire is the senior officer for Pewsey's part-time retained firefighters and is a full-time fire officer with the Ministry of Defence Fire Service.

His work with the defence fire service has taken him to Kosovo, Bosnia and Germany for spells of duty.

Now, as his retirement as a full-time fire officer looms, he is planning to join the ten-day charity event, Australia Trek Challenge 2005.

He has to raise £2,700 by July to guarantee his place in the fundraiser, which starts from Melbourne in October.

Mr Hampshire is hoping that his fire service colleagues in both the civilian and ministry brigades, Pewsey Vale villagers and businesses will make contributions.

Born in the Pewsey Vale, Mr Hampshire and his wife Jean have lived in Pewsey for 35 years and he has spent his entire career with the MoD fire service.

He has one daughter, Tracey, and his son Jason also works for the defence fire service and serves as a retained firefighter at Pewsey.

The Australia challenge will involve two days cycling, during which the participants will have to cycle between 100 to 110 kilometres each day.

The ride will take them along the coast of Port Philip Bay and past seaside villages along the Morning Peninsula.

On the third day the participants will swap their bikes for walking shoes and will spend six days following coastal tracks and covering a total of 80 kilometres.

Contributions towards his trek which will all go to the FSNBF, can be handed in on Monday drill nights at the Pewsey fire station or sent to Mr Hampshire at 5 Inlands Close, Pewsey.