A Devizes teenager who survived a difficult childhood and homelessness to become a role model to others has been nominated for a prestigious award.

Shanna Leadbetter, 16, is down to the final three for the Bristol International Airport Educational Achiever of the Year Award at The Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards ceremony next month.

WEdnesday's ceremony falls during the charity’s first annual Youth Week, which aims to change negative perceptions about young people, highlighting the positive differences they make to society.

Shanna had an incredibly turbulent childhood and was living on the street at the age of twelve. She wasn’t in mainstream education and had missed a lot of school.

In 2006 Shanna was referred to The Prince’s Trust xl programme, an alternative school curriculum for those at risk of under-achieving.

Despite her troubled past, she was the most motivated of a challenging xl group and put huge amounts of effort into every project she was involved in.

Her attendance at school improved dramatically to one-hundred per cent and she became a motivating influence on the rest of the team.

She created an outstanding portfolio of evidence for her Bronze and Silver xl Awards, which she is hoping will help her win a place at college.

Shanna is currently in foster care, enjoying a secure and stable family life and looking forward to continuing her education, something she never thought possible two years ago.

Shanna said, “Things have totally changed for me since I went on xl, everyone there was nice to me and I started enjoying school for the first time. Now things have settled down at home as well, I feel like my life is back on track.”

Shanna finds out if she’s scooped the award on Wednesday 19 November at the Oscar-style Celebrate Success awards ceremony, taking place in Bristol and hosted by Suzanne Dando, former Olympic gymnast and ITV Presenter Peter Rowell.

All the finalists have been selected from the more than 3,000 young people supported by The Trust in the South West over the past year. The dedicated support provided by Prince’s Trust volunteers, partner organisations and staff throughout the South West will also be recognised at the ceremony.

Youth charity The Prince's Trust helps change young lives. It gives practical and financial support, developing key workplace skills such as confidence and motivation. It works with 14- to 30-year-olds who have struggled at school, have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law.