A GROUP of Black Country friends will wade through mud and stinging nettles as they test their strength and stamina to raise funds for charity.

Matthew Johnson, of Rowley Regis and Halesowen residents Ian Russell, Paul Guest and Joseph Henn, will team up with Darren Marklew, Ian Brookes, Richard Peters and Tom Davies, from Kingswinford, for the Tough Guy Nettle Warrior challenge today (Sunday July 13).

They will tackle the gruelling 17k obstacle course in Perton, near Wolverhampton, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Ian explained: "We chose the charity after Matthew lost his wife, Karen to cystic fibrosis after the birth of their son Harry in 2004."

He said the team, who have dubbed themselves The Yeltz Men after their favourite football team, Halesowen Town, are under no illusions about the difficulty of the task.

The 39-year-old continued: "As the title says, this is a very tough event that I've been training for since deciding to go for it last October."

They hope to raise £1,000 and to date have managed £606.

To donate, visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/YeltzMen.