Two super-fit physiotherapists raised more than £4,000 for a therapy centre helping people with multiple sclerosis by climbing to the Mount Everest base camp.

Joanna Witos, 32, and Apeksha Patel, 31, will be giving the money to the Harrow MS Therapy Centre, in Watford Road, where the pair work.

They started on February 25 and took eight days to hike to the base camp, 5,364m above sea level, battling fatigue and altitude sickness.

On day nine they climbed still higher to the top of Kalar Patthar, which literally translates to ‘black rock’, to reach a height of 5,545m.

Ms Patel said the ascent was amazing despite the freezing temperatures and thin air.

She said: “It has been a dream of ours to climb in the Himalayas and it was magical.

“We felt the pain in a big way and I thought I was going to die but you know when you are so close you just can’t stop.

“I think for me it was harder mentally than physically.”

The physios trained for the challenge by cycling, running, doing yoga, martial arts and Tai Chi.

Ms Witos said: “We knew we would be fit enough for the climb but we didn’t think the altitude would be so difficult.

“It was really steep and we would start at 5.30am every day.

“We had a guide but other than that we did the climb completely unaided and with no special equipment other than a walking pole each.”

The MS Therapy Centre does not receive any funding from the NHS, which is why the pair decided to raise funds for the cause.

Centre manager Lynn Hurst said it needs to raise more than £200,000  every year to keep running.

She said: “We have organisations that support us but mostly they just buy us equipment.

“What we really need is core funding for what we do.

“That’s our greatest need.”

To donate please visit the JustGiving page or www.harrowmscentre.co.uk