BODYBUILDER Eddie Ellwood is celebrating after winning the regional heat of the Britain's Strongest Man competition.
Mr Ellwood, a father-of-two from Hartlepool, was one of 16 contestants who took part in the event at the Louisa Centre, Stanley, infront of a crowd of 500.
The 38-year-old, who owns a gym, will go forward to the finals where he hopes to progress into the international competition.
He has won the Mr Universe competition five times but switched to the strongman scene about a year ago. He said: "It was hard making the transition at first but it is a new challenge for me."
The event also featured a strongest woman competition in which six contenders for the title tested their strengths.
Marian Nobile, of Scotland, was the winner. She plans to compete for the European and world titles.
The event was sponsored by Stanley's Asda supermarket. Spokeswoman Joyce Porter said: "It was absolutely fantastic and Eddie Ellwood raced away with it."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article