Juliet Hope is living up to her name, offering inspiration to hundreds of men and women who otherwise would be facing very bleak futures.

Mrs Hope, pictured, from Jericho, Oxford, has now been named Inspirational Woman of the Year by the Daily Mail newspaper.

The mother-of-two juggles life at home with running Startup, a charity she founded to help former prisoners find their feet in the community after being released.

Last week she was praised for her work by Samantha Cameron, wife of Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron, at 10 Downing Street.

Mrs Hope said: “I feel very honoured, especially when I heard about all of the other nominations. But I’m proud to accept it on behalf of the charity, because working with prisoners isn’t always the most popular job.”

Startup was founded in 2006 and has since helped more than 1,000 ex-offenders, many of whom are helped to launch their own businesses.

While 65 per cent of ex-prisoners nationally go on to reoffend, only five per cent of those supported by Startup do.

Mrs Hope said: “It started when a friend who helps ex-offenders asked me to look into how much money they might need to start up their own businesses. I realised they didn’t just need money, they needed training and support and everything that goes with that too.”

The charity is based in Thame, where Mrs Hope lived with her husband Christopher and their 10-year-old twin daughters Charlotte and Lucy until recently. Mr Hope died last June from complications after heart surgery.

Mrs Hope said: “He was an amazing father and an amazing husband, but he was the most amazing supporter of Startup too.”

For more information, see startupnow.org.uk or call 01844 216678