A GROUP of women with a passion for rugby are hitting the road to raise cash for Clent special school Sunfield.

A team of 11 mums from the mini and junior section at Stourbridge Rugby Club have signed up for the Birmingham half marathon which will take place on Sunday October 15.

Fay Truby, Kirsty Casey, Liz Fisher, Alison Holloway, Emma Teague, Nicola Morgan, Fran Grigg, Juliet Hale, Angela Meneer, Helen Miles and Diane Jones decided to raise cash for Sunfield after being inspired by Rachel Sharpe.

Rachel's eight-year-old son Stanley has profound autism and attends Sunfield where she says his life has changed.

Rachel, who met the rugby mums at an event organised by from the Phi-nix hair salon in Hagley, said: "Every day is a battle for Stanley, and until he got a place at Sunfield, a battle he wasn't winning.

"At Sunfield Stanley receives the therapeutic care he needs through specialist staff and programmes, as a family I don't know what we would do without Sunfield. 

"Stanley has flourished under their specialist care, they gave him his smile back, gave him a voice and helped him find his giggle."

The group has been in training for ten months and say it has been tough preparing for the 13-mile event.

To make a donation log on to justgiving.com/fundraising/kirsty-casey5.

Liz Fisher said: "When the idea of running the half marathon was suggested I thought 'this will be fun', as a mum-of-two I was just getting back into running again. How hard could it be?

"Well it has been hard, physical and challenging and I anticipate that the actual run will be tough.

"However, we have a great group of mums who have all faced their own personal journeys whilst training for it."

Fay Truby added: "I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are nervous, excited and apprehensive all at the same time, but I know we will give it our all."