Two Royal Navy Senior Ratings from Hampshire and a veteran recently walked from the home of English Rugby to the home of Welsh Rugby to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

Chief Petty Officers Andy “Gibbo” Gibbs & Philip “Knocker” White, both serving at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, and James “JC” Cameron-Wood, a member of Black Rod’s staff at the House of Lords, started the 180- mile journey at Twickenham aiming to carry the Gilbert match ball for the Wales v England RBS 6 Nations fixture in Cardiff.

Day four of the trek saw a substitution when “JC” returned to his day job to be replaced by CPO Kev Bentley, also from HMS Collingwood, as they passed the halfway point in Gloucestershire.

CPO “Gibbo” Gibbs, a veteran of five similar walks, said: “This has been one of best organised and executed walks we have carried out which was well supported on both sides of the border by rugby clubs and local and national press. Morale never waned, even in the pouring rain that welcomed us to Wales.”

He thanked supporters Heineken UK, Crabbie’s UK, their vehicle sponsor Essex Auto Group and their kit sponsor Gilbert Rugby.

The team not only raised £5,580 for Help for Heroes on the walk.

The team are now only £7,300 away from raising a total of £500,000 for the charity since November 2008.

You can follow their efforts via Twitter @TEAMDIFH, or Facebook at facebook.com/doingitforheroes and donations can be made through justgiving.com/DIFH.

Photograph caption:

CPOs “Gibbo” Gibbs, Kev Bentley and “Knocker” White present the ball to Welsh Rugby captain Alun Wyn Jones.