Sisters are raising money for charity after one went through the “horrible” experience of losing a baby.

Katie North, from Ongar, will tackle the Strong Women Challenge next March alongside her sister, Terri, to raise money for Stillbirth and Neonatal deaths (Sands).

Katie, who is now a mother to Timothy, four, had a miscarriage around five years ago and has a number of friends who had stillborn babies.

The 29-year-old said: “I didn’t know I was pregnant and my father-in-law had died. After his funeral I went for my 12 weeks scan, to be told he had died at eight weeks.

“It was awful – I had to have the baby removed. It was just a horrible experience.”

She said her family and her boyfriend of 13 years, Tom Edwards, were very supportive, and the traumatic experience ended up bringing the family closer together.

She added: “I was the first one in my family to become pregnant so when I lost the baby, everyone was there for me.

“They helped me every day – I was always crying and they helped me through it.”

The gruelling challenge will see the sisters take part in regular training sessions, including 20 minutes of cardio and lift 85 kilos from the floor.

To have the chance to win, they need to be able to lift 110 kilos from the floor – and 30 above their heads.

Although the challenge is not until next March, Terri is already “excited” but cautious Katie admits she is “nervous”.

The sisters have set themselves a target of raising £1,000 and will focus on meeting their goal in the coming year.

Terri said: “We chose Sands because we know quite a few people who have lost children. We thought it would be really nice, so we are trying to raise awareness.”

Terri and Katie are organising a raffle at North Weald Village Hall to help their fundraising efforts.

You can donate to the sisters fundraising page at Www.justgiving.com/Telkit