A 22-year-old Butlin’s Skegness employee is set to swap the fairground for the international stage after being selected to represent Team England at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Canada.
Anastasia Greenwood, who works as Fairground Assistant Manager at Butlin’s Skegness, will compete in the bench press event next month despite only taking up powerlifting in January 2025.
And it turns out she’s already putting her strength to good use at work. Colleagues say Anastasia is the first person they call when dodgems, go-karts or other heavy equipment need shifting around the resort.
The Skegness local only started competing in June 2025 after gaining her Level 1 Powerlifting Coaching qualification through British Powerlifting while studying at the University of Lincoln.
Since then, things have moved pretty quickly.
The Commonwealth Championships will be just the fifth competition of Anastasia’s powerlifting career. Earlier this year, she finished second at the English Bench Press Championships, a result that earned her a surprise invitation to join Team England.
The selection came at a time when Anastasia had been questioning whether to continue in the sport at all.
Speaking ahead of the trip, she said: “I’m feeling really excited to be competing at my first international event. I’ve had to work hard to change my mindset in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Championships, and I’m grateful for the support of my coach and friends.
“The team on resort have really got behind me, especially while I’ve been balancing work with training four times a week. I’ll be thinking of them as I step onto the platform in Canada.”
Despite her relative inexperience, Anastasia heads to the championships with a genuine chance of winning a medal. She currently has a personal best bench press of 65kg and has been training four times a week at Prime Fitness in Skegness ahead of her international debut.
She added: “Although my main goals are to have fun and enjoy the whole experience, I am in contention to place first in my category. I’ll absolutely fight for gold, but if I come home with bronze or silver, I’ll be just as happy.”
Andrew Leivers, Resort Director at Butlin’s Skegness, said everyone at the resort was “incredibly proud” when they heard about her selection.
He said: “Anastasia plays a huge role in making sure one of the busiest parts of our resort runs smoothly for thousands of guests, alongside supporting her team as Fairground Assistant Manager.
“She not only pushes herself to constantly improve but also those around her too.”
Not bad for someone who’s only been competing for little over a year. From moving dodgems in Skegness to lifting for England in Canada, it’s been quite the rise.
