Hello, I am a motivated and driven individual who is very passionate about supporting people and seeing them smile.

I lived and worked in London for 9 years, supporting young people in the social care and youth justice sectors. 

I feel that if I can help to make a difference in people's lives, then I am achieving what I am passionate about. 

Make Your Choice CIC means a lot to me. It isn't just a venture or a job, it is something that I feel from the heart, because I was that girl 20 years ago!! So many girls and young women are entering the justice system without any support. Some of them are promised lavish lifestyles, when in reality, they are being groomed and used to commit crimes daily. This is heartbreaking, as when I see this happening, I know what is to come for them and how hard life will be for them if they do not change things around.

My parents worked very hard, to ensure that me and my brother had the best. The memories that I have are amazing and I had a very good upbringing. However, this did not stop me falling victim to being !! My brother began hanging around our estate and venturing out with different associates. He began to live a life of crime and slowly began grooming me in to committing offences. I was young and a very bubbly teenager, who wanted to fit in and be liked. I was easily groomed and manipulated and it ultimately ended with me serving a 7 year custodial sentence for a conspiracy charge. I was devastated and felt like my life was over. My world came crashing down in the blink of an eye. My parents were devastated and it resulted in my father having a nervous breakdown because he just couldn't understand how I had gotten involved in such a thing. Going to prison was the worst experience of my life, but it was the biggest lesson and eye-opener. It mentally destroyed me and put me at the lowest point I had ever been! By being at that point, I had no alternative other than to pick myself up. It is the toughest and hardest journey that I have ever been on. Not only was I broken, but I had broken my parents and left them serving a sentence too. I was far away from of my family and I quickly figured out that I only had one real friend. It took me years to recover from the mental trauma of the years that I had spent in prison. I had to rebuild my life from the bottom right the way up. I still remember one of my first days out in the community. I was volunteering for a charity who work with ex-offenders and gang members and I ended up feeling so overwhelmed that I had a panic attack. The mental trauma from being in prison is not a joke and I hope that I can support as many young women as possible, to ensure that they never have to go through what I did. I have been out of prison for 11 years now and have worked for a number of charities, supporting young people and adults. Life is something that many people take for granted, but by losing everything, I learnt to value each day and everything that I have and have worked hard to build.

I share my story, to spread awareness and help as many girls and young women as I can!