Hampstead Ladies have teamed up to raise more than £1,000 for charity by completing a gruelling 5k obstacle course around Saracens’ stadium in Hendon.

Ham & High: Micha Palmer helps Rachel Grovenor over the wallMicha Palmer helps Rachel Grovenor over the wall (Image: Archant)

Fourteen members of the women’s squad spent an hour and a half tackling 15 trials in the grounds of Allianz Park, pushing their bodies to the limit.

They battled up and down stairs with sandbags on their shoulders, scaled walls and climbed ropes with nothing but their own strength and teamwork to help them as part of the draining ‘Spartan Sprint’.

The penalty for not completing an obstacle was 20 burpees – a press-up type exercise which everyone was keen to avoid.

The aim was to raise money for First Step, which supports the families of pre-school children with special needs and disabilities through facilities such as a sensory room and sessions such as play groups and music therapy. It needs approximately £500,000 in donations every year to continue.

Hampstead’s try-scoring machine Lilly Hunt, 24, said: “Completing the Spartan Race as a whole team was an incredible experience and knowing we had hit the £1,000 mark [with our fundraising] just before we got to the starting line really spurred us on.

“As a rugby team we’re always littered with injuries, but we made sure everyone – even those who were on crutches just weeks beforehand – completed the whole 5km.

“I’m so proud to be a part of this team and this club and so happy to know we’ve helped First Step.”

Harriet Orrell added: “At the last count we had raised £1,118, which was incredibly motivating through every second of the tough challenge we had set ourselves.

It was one of the physically hardest things I have ever done and I couldn’t have done it without Hampstead Ladies beside me.”