SIX wounded army veterans will be walking through Herefordshire next week and met by a member of the royal family.

The Walk of Britain by Prince Harry-backed charity Walking with the Wounded started in Scotland in August and next Thursday, October 1 they will reach Herefordshire.

They will be met by The Duke of Kent at Whitecross School in Hereford and an evening dinner is being held in their honour by The Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire and The Chairman of Herefordshire Council.

Deputy lieutenant Patrick Darling said the team of six veterans will leave the Corn Square in Leominster at around 9am next Thursday and then walk to Hereford and arrive in High Town at 4pm.

He said: "It would be really great for the people of Hereford to make an effort to be in High Town, where there will be a small military band and cheerleaders, to support these people as they come in and show them that we value them."

The Duke of Kent, who is the Queen’s cousin, will meet the veterans at 2.45pm and visit the school's World War One trench which has been dug behind the school.

The core team of four British wounded veterans and two US wounded are Stewart Hill, Matt Fisher, Alec Robotham, Scott Ransley, Kirstie Ennis and Andrew Bement.

They are joined each week by other wounded personnel and celebrities to show their support.

While in Herefordshire they are being sponsored by the National Football league (American football) and they are sponsoring cheerleaders in all locations including the dinner.

The dinner at the Shire Hall in Hereford on October 1 at 7.45pm is Herefordshire’s drive to raise £20,000 as part of the walk’s national target to raise £500,000. More than half of the dinner tickets have been sold, which are £900 for a table of ten or £100 per ticket. To buy dinner tickets call 01432 260494.

Major Darling added: “It is a jolly good cause. These people lost their limbs fighting for their country. Whether or not you agree with the war in Afghanistan they did their job which they were sent out to do and now they have come back without a limb. It is up to all of us to do our bit to show we value them.”

On the Friday they will set off from Hereford Cathedral at 8.45am and walk along the A49 before turning off onto the A466 and through Wormelow and then Welsh Newton before entering Monmouthshire.

The walk will finish in London on November 1.

Buy a mile here http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk/walkofbritain2015/buy-a-mile-2/