A LEOMINSTER mum and fitness instructor is hoping to be crowned Britain’s strongest woman.

Natalie Rouse, a full time student at the University of Worcester, will be taking part in the Strongman Galaxy Bodypower event at the NEC in Birmingham in May.

If she wins, she'll take the title of Strongman Galaxy Champion under 75kg and would qualify for Britain’s strongest women event in October.

The 32-year-old has been awarded £270 from the University of Worcester’s Scholarship Panel to assist with her training and entry fees.

Ms Rouse, who is in the second year of a degree in human nutrition, said: "I have been competing in strong-woman contests for the last few years and have had some good successes.

“I also compete in body fitness contests, which is a real contradiction to strongman. Strongman is purely about being able to move objects around in the most efficient way, whereas body fitness is more concentrated on the toning of the muscles."

Ms Rouse works as a fitness instructor in Leominster with Halo Leisure, and hopes to combine her passion for fitness and her degree in nutrition to build her own business, working with elite athletes.

“There are a lot of misconceptions around these sort of contests for women and what is enjoyable for me is to talk to people about what they involve and help to break down some of those pre-judgements,” she added.

“I am really enjoying my degree and to be able to apply that to my love of fitness, in a professional capacity, would be amazing,” she said. “I’m really grateful to the university for this financial support and giving me the chance to pursue this dream.”

The University awards scholarships of up to £1,000 towards voluntary work or activities, to pursue a particular interest, ie music or arts, or towards course-related activities.