A DISS student has reached the final five in a competition which could see her shoe designs catapulted from drawing board to high street.

A DISS student has reached the final five in a competition which could see her shoe designs catapulted from drawing board to high street.

Heidi Henderson, 21, is in her final year of a specialist shoe design degree at De Montfort University in Leicester.

And as she nears graduation she has also made it to the finals of the international Shoeperstar design competition run by Hush Puppies.

The competition asked budding designers to submit a design brief for the company to bring to market.

The overall winner will receive mentoring from professional designers to perfect their design and then have their shoe made by Hush Puppies.

The design will be sold exclusively in Schuh shops on high streets all over the country.

Each of the five finalists has won 12 pairs of shoes from Schuh and a �500 stylist session with celebrity stylist Rachel Fanconi.

Miss Henderson's design is called Freedom and draws upon a vintage birdcage she recently bought.

She said: 'I wanted to design a shoe for women who like to feel good and stand out from the crowd.'

'With the concept of birds being trapped in cages, I alternatively wanted to convey freedom and boldness in my design and felt that the beauty and vibrant colours of Parrots portrayed this well.'

A winner will be chosen at an event today when the designs are presented to a judging panel.