The Miss Wales hopeful and powerlifter who has aplied to be a mental health nurse

'I want to show that women can be strong and feminine in Miss Wales final'

By Corrie David 17:42, 24 JAN 2022

Miss Wales hopeful Catrin Harries (Image: Graham Davies Photography)

Aged just 14, Catrin Harries secured a world record in powerlifting.

Five years later, after some successful modelling, Catrin is entering the world of pageantry to compete for the Miss Wales title.

"I'm quite interested in breaking that bias in women," Catrin explains from her home in Bridgend.

"I feel like when you think of pageants you don't always picture of girls who go to the gym every night and pull massive weights.

"I’m taking in part to show that women don’t have to just be ‘pretty’ they can be strong, smart and independent."

It's for this reason that Catrin, who is hoping to become a mental health nurse, is putting herself into a different type of competition - Miss Wales 2022 - aiming to show young girls that they don't have to limit themselves to one thing.

"I hate how powerlifting can be associated with not being feminine - I love getting dressed up and putting on pretty dresses, and just because I love lifting doesn't mean I can't like getting dressed up too."

Lifting isn't Catrin's only mode of keeping fit, as she explained she also has a love for dance - something which should hopefully come in handy during the Miss Wales event.

Wanting to connect her love of female strength and wellbeing, in order to fundraise for the pageant's official charity Beauty With a Purpose, Catrin is running a women's self-defence course along with the MAT academy, a gym specialising in Martial Arts.

Catrin, aged just 14, obtained a world record in powerlifting (Image: Catrin Harries)

"There are so many things in the media with women being spiked and women being attacked walking home alone and stuff like that, so I think it's really important and it will be really good.

"And all the money raised goes back into the charity."

The stigma of female strength isn't the only barrier Catrin is aiming to bring down with her ambition.

As she wraps up her secondary education, she has already applied and received offers to pursue further education in Mental Health Nursing.

"Mental health is something that's really important to me, especially the stigma behind it and the fact that it's not seen as important as physical health.

"I've just completed my interviews and I've been offered a place, but I'm just waiting for the rest to come back now."

Catrin has already started receiving offers to study Mental Health Nursing (Image: Catrin Harries)

The Miss Wales final - which will take place in May - will include a three-day event including an empowerment day designed to boost the confidence of contestants, the Miss Wales Charity Ball in aid of Beauty With A Purpose, and a catwalk event in front of an audience and panel of judges. You can see Catrin's fundraiser for Miss Wales charity Beauty With A Purpose here.

While the whole pageant brings exciting new challenges for Catrin, she explained how she's mostly looking forward to the empowerment event.

"The empowerment event is something I'm really looking forward to. You write all the negative things you think about yourself on a board and you break the board.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/miss-wales-hopeful-powerlifter-who-22857463