A YOUNG woman from Suffolk who transformed her life after being homeless has won a top accolade from The Prince's Trust.At a glittering ceremony honouring the successes of young people and volunteers in the East of England, Donna Goymer, from Stowmarket, was given the Young Achiever of the Year Award.

A YOUNG woman from Suffolk who transformed her life after being homeless has won a top accolade from The Prince's Trust.

At a glittering ceremony honouring the successes of young people and volunteers in the East of England, Donna Goymer, from Stowmarket, was given the Young Achiever of the Year Award.

Unemployed and homeless, she joined a programme run by The Prince's Trust, which saw her take part in a community project in Europe. Since then the 19-year-old has turned her life around and is now working full-time as an assistant in a stationery company.

She said: “It's an amazing feeling to win this award and it's really made me realise how far I've come in the last seven years.

“Thanks to all the support and encouragement that I received from The Prince's Trust I'm now able to look forward to my life and to achieving much more through volunteering my time to help adults with learning difficulties.”

Donna was given her award at a high-profile event, Celebrate Success, on Wednesday night at Chilford Hall, Cambridge. The trust's celebrity ambassador Clare Nasir, from GMTV, was also there to hear the youngsters' stories.

Nina Finbow, from Colchester, won the Chilford Hall Mentor/Volunteer Award at the event. She has been a volunteer with the trust for four years and has been involved as the co-chair of the fundraising committee for about two years. The trust said she had displayed an unbelievable amount of hard work, dedication, enthusiasm and commitment.

Meanwhile, Stuart Burton, 25, from Thetford, was the runner up in Donna's category, Joseph Kellner, 19, from Ipswich, was highly commended in the Skills Development Award and Ricky Betts, 15, from Clacton-on-Sea, was runner up of the In-School Achiever Award.

HMP Warren Hill's juvenile development programme, in Suffolk, was given recognition as runner up of the Community Impact Award and Essex County Council was also runner up in the Delivery Partner Award.

Graham Ball, the trust's regional director said: “These awards are a celebration of young people's achievements across the East of England. They demonstrate not only what young people can accomplish if given the right support, but also how they can make a positive impact on their community.”