A woman who was moved 260 miles away from her hometown into care has secured funding to grow her business.

Jade Barnett, from Lewisham, entered the care system at the age of 15 and was moved from London to Blackpool, the children's home capital of Britain, just before her GCSEs.

She felt "alone" and like a "misfit" and "yearned to be back in London close to her family and friends."

She said she felt "let down by the care system."

Now 24, Jade is back in Lewisham and is striving to change the system with her social enterprise Power2Prevail Community, which supports disadvantaged young people to see that their circumstances don’t define them.

The not-for-profit organisation specialises in supporting care-experienced young people, students on the brink of exclusion, and pathways into employment.

Jade said: "Growing up as a care leaver, being excluded from school and experiencing violence was tough.

"Issues at home meant I entered the care system, I was also hanging around with a lot of people that were involved in criminal violence, and, at one point I witnessed a young man be stabbed in front of me, and it's something that really impacted me.

"I was not supported in the best way by ‘corporate parents’ in the care system.

"I first entered the care system in London, I went to six different schools, a pupil referral unit, lived in foster care in Birmingham before being put in a black cab and moved to Blackpool, crying all the way.

"I was told I would be there two weeks and was there 18 months.

"I was labelled and judged and was constantly put in situations where I felt I was destined for failure.

"There were no people like me in Blackpool and I had to fight to not lose my identity - and that uncomfortableness led me to a lightbulb moment of what I wanted to do for others.

"I was a young person who loved to learn and did well despite being in care, not because of it.

"I want young people to see that there's more to life than what's presented to them.

"I want them to be able to see that they, regardless of their circumstances, whether it's past or present, have the ability and the potential to thrive.

"Now I live and breathe working to support young people, I have used my pain for purpose.

"The system constantly fails children, we need to be the change that we want to see."

Power2Prevail Community’s growth has now been made possible after successfully gaining £8,000 from the Funding Futures Programme to start a ‘Journey 2 Adulthood’ programme.

The Funding Futures Programme - a joint fund from Unltd, Co-op Foundation and Phoenix Group and delivered by Unltd - has been set up to support young social entrepreneurs working in the areas of financial inclusion and literacy.

Jade added: "The course is based on my own lived experiences of my transition to independence.

"When you turn 18 and you're in the system, you are being pushed out.

"Care leavers don't get quality support to understand the realities of the world.

"So we will support young people with managing finances, cooking, self love, staying safe, loneliness and mental health and building a pathway to further education or employment.

"I know it will still be a tough journey, but I want them to be equipped to make the next transition into their community and know they have support from people that understand what they are going through along the way.

"I can’t thank UnLtd enough for their encouragement, support and belief in what we want to achieve."