BLACKBURN Rovers legend Simon Garner is set to take on the Borneo jungle and the Lancashire Evening Telegraph will be there with him every step of the way.

Reporter Gavin Gibbon will join Ewood Park's all-time leading goalscorer and his team, who will be battling for the Borneo Cup 2006.

Their team will be up against a host of other ex-professional footballers and their squads of volunteers, raising money for charity in the process.

And Gavin will be sending daily diaries and pictures from the jungle updating readers of his team's progress.

Simon and his squad will fly into Kuala Lumpur in May before competing against ex-soccer stars Neville Southall, Arthur Albiston, Alan Kennedy, Peter Nicholson and Brian Kilcline.

During the nine-day event in the jungle, they will be taking part in various challenges including mountain biking, trekking, raft racing, abseiling and river tubing.

They are aiming to raise as much money as possible for Children Today, which provides grants and funding for specially designed equipment to help disabled children in the UK.

The challenge will include: l A five-hour, 32km mountain bike challenge down tough hills and gravel roads.

l A 7km river journey over rapids in rubber paddle rafts.

l Nights sleeping in hammocks in an open air base camp.

l Trekking through the rainforest and villages crossing rivers, sometimes on hanging bridges.

l Racing in hand-made rafts.

l A torchlight trek up Mount Kinablu, beginning with a four-hour climb up to base camp at Laban Rata.

Simon today called for a big effort from all his recruits as he bids to bring the Borneo Cup back to Blackburn.

He said: "As long as my team are as fit as their captain then I think we've got a good chance! I've been in serious training."

He revealed his training has included weekly five-a-side football matches and cycling around his Berkshire home.

But he admitted he was slightly wary about certain elements of the challenge.

He said: "I sponsor people who have been on these sort of trips before and they say it's brilliant. I'm really looking forward to it.

"But I'm not sure about sleeping in a hammock or walking across rope bridges and I've read that one of the days we're getting up at 2am.

"I'm not keen on any of that!"

Gavin is being backed by airline bmi, which has donated £3,500 in sponsorship.

Nigel Dolman, bmi senior manager for long haul and regions, said: "We are very proud to be sponsoring Gavin as he takes on this amazing challenge in Borneo for such a worthwhile cause. We fly direct from Manchester Airport to a host of long-haul destinations, including Las Vegas, Chicago, Barbados and Antigua, so we support Gavin as he sets off on this expedition and wish him luck."

Organisers are hoping the challenge will raise more than £100,000.

Alan Dodd, director of Children Today, added: "It is great news Gavin is taking part in the Borneo Cup.

"The challenge is a fantastic opportunity, with a few famous faces thrown in, whilst raising much-needed money for children with disability in Lancashire."

Alex Guy, of Old Sett End Cottages, Hoddlesden, and Simon Barnes, from Thornton Cleveleys, are the other members of Team Garner'.