ARE you tough enough to take on the Tough Guy Challenge 2007?

Twelve men from Hampshire believe they have the guts and determination to be the first team to successfully complete the task that promises to push every competitor to their limit.

Simon Weatherall and his team are daring to take on this physically challenging, mentally demanding, fear inducing, visual spectacular all to raise money for the William Rowden Trust.

Belly crawls However, the team is looking for more sponsorship and more tough guys who dare to be brave enough to join their team and be taken beyond their limits on torturous obstacles in a location known as the Killing Fields'.

They will face obstacles such as jumping through fire, belly crawling face down in mud to avoid barbed wire and risking electric fences which are powered with twice the amount of electricity needed to stun a bull.

Simon, 25, a former Marine Commando who now owns personal fitness outdoor training company, Get Fit 121 based in Winchester, said: "No team has ever completed the challenge before so it would be a bit of a first if we manage it.

"It's going to kill the team. It will thrash everybody and they will probably end up close to death. I think for a few of them they are not quite aware just how intense it is going to be.

"We would love all the support we can get, whether it's more guys who are willing to take on the challenge or people who are willing to sponsor us. We want to raise as much money as possible for the trust."

The 12 men, who are all involved with Get Fit 121, decided to brave this challenge after one of Simon's trainers, Glenn, started giving physio to 15-year-old paralysis victim William Rowden.

William, from King's Somborne, Winchester, suffered a spinal bleed when he was eight and now requires 24-hour care. This all comes at a cost, so his mum, Sandra Rowden, set up a charity in his name to raise money for William and others in his situation.

Sandra, said: "I think these men are really brave. I have had a look at the challenge on the website and it looks horrendous so we want as many people as possible to come forward and support them.

Paralysis "A lifetime with paralysis is expensive and, as we all saw with the actor Christopher Reeve, paralysis causes major health complications. Being trapped in a body which refuses to move and go from being an active child to a frustrated teenager is daunting, knowing that you have to rely on others for the simplest of tasks."

Anyone who would like to join the challenge which takes place in January, in Staffordshire, should contact Simon on 07883 355121. If actually taking part is too daunting you can sponsor the team and donate money to the William Rowden Trust by visiting www.williamrowden.org or contacting Sandra on 01794 388981.