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A mother-of-one is hoping to be crowned Britain's strongest woman later this year.

Natalie Rouse, a full time student at the ³ÉÈËBÕ¾, will be taking part in the"Strongman Galaxy Championships in Birmingham in May, which is a qualifier for Britain's Strongest Women in October.

She is also competing at the Physical Culture Association contest this year, which is a women's physique contest.

The 32-year-old has been awarded £270 from the ³ÉÈËBÕ¾'s Scholarship Panel to assist with her training and entry fees.

"I have been competing in Strong-woman contests for the last few years and have had some good successes," said Natalie, who is in the second year of a degree in Human Nutrition. "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."

"There are a lot of misconceptions around these sorts 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," Natalie added.

Natalie is a fitness instructor in her hometown of Leominster, and is hoping to combine her passion for fitness and her degree in Nutrition, to build her own business, working with elite athletes.

"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.