A teenager who has gone from a disjointed childhood in which she moved more than 20 times, including being separated from siblings and parents, and who teetered on the verge of homelessness, has won a BBC Teen Award for her inspiring work with others.

Shannon Fletcher, 17, an apprentice on the Bridges project at Volunteer Centre Sutton, was one of four teenagers, out of more than 2,000 national nominees, to win a BBC Radio 1 Teen Award.

Miss Fletcher was presented with her award live on stage at Wembley Arena on Sunday October 19, during the Teen Awards ceremony, in front of 10,000 people.

The event, co-hosted by Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw and singer Rita Ora, was broadcast live on the BBC with a highlights programme scheduled to be shown on CBBC on Friday October 24.

Shannon won the ‘Inspiring Others’ category, which recognises young people who’ve succeeded in the face of adversity and inspires others along the way, after being nominated by Derek Terrell project manager for Bridges.

The Bridges is a youth employability project, run from the Volunteer Centre Sutton, where Shannon has been working for the past three months.

Shannon works one-to-one with the young people, and colleagues say it is 'because she has personal experience of the issues affecting young people she now works to support that she is able to connect with them so effortlessly and act as a role model, inspiring them to dream big and realise their capabilities'.

Mr Terrell said: "Shannon has been an asset to us from the day she joined as an apprentice, working hard and inspiring others to reach their potential. "What makes her so remarkable is that she has risen to so many personal challenges and because of these life experiences, she speaks with real authority and helps her peers to see, and plan, for a positive future.

"She understands completely what young people need and she is a role model for all of us. We are so proud of her and she truly deserves this award".

Shannon said she 'could not believe it' when Radio 1 DJ Greg James, along with a camera crew, burst in to reveal she was a winner during a Volunteer Centre Sutton staff away day last week, She said: "I was so shocked to see Greg James that I couldn’t take in what he was saying. "I’m really pleased but I think there are other people out there more deserving than me."