The Hartlepool gym home to three national strongman and strongwoman title holders

Rachael Greathead, Alan Grieves and Danny Dawson-Weatherill, who all train at Northern Strength and Performance, each returned victorious from national strongmen and strongwomen competitions.

Danny, 27, became the first winner of the new Britain’s Strongest Man under 120kg weight title after pitting his strength in six testing events in Darlington.

Alan is now UK Strongest Master after competing for only the first time.

And Rachael successfully defended her England’s Strongest Woman under 82kg title after competing at a fitness exhibition in Liverpool.

Rachael, 29, who is a co-owner of Northern Strength and Performance on the Usworth Industrial Estate, said: “To have three such big titles for the full country I don’t know of any other gym that has that unless maybe a big city.

"We’re not the biggest gym but I dare say we have the hardest working people and it shows.”

Danny, who works for the council and is also a personal trainer, won his title after scoring the highest in six events including flipping a 350kg tyre and lifting a heavy Altas stone to his shoulder.

He said: “A title like this has only been in Hartlepool probably when Eddy Ellwood was doing strongman competitions.

"It’s good for the town and shows all the work paid off.”

Rachael, a nurse for private clinical research company MAC, proved her strength in events including lifting sandbags and beer kegs weighing up to 80kg and a timed run while carrying iron girders in each hand.

She will now compete in Britain’s Strongest Woman in Doncaster in September and has been invited to the World’s Strongest Woman in Florida in November.

Rachael, mum to three-year-old Eviee, added: “It’s not your everyday sport, there’s so much you can do it never gets boring.

"It’s a nice escape from being a mam and a nurse.”

Health and safety advisor Alan won the UK Strongest Master at Tockwith Airfield near York which involved pulling a 10.5 tonne truck.

Aimed at seasoned strongmen aged over 40, it was his his first real competition.

Alan, 40, said: “I was ecstatic. I didn’t go expecting to win just to learn from it.

"I loved the atmosphere. Everyone supports each other and there is no bitterness.”

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