Feeling like a winner

But, thanks to a £750 award given to her by the Oxfordshire Women's Forum, that's exactly what she is doing.

The new business, Enlightened Coaching, set up with partner Erik Cornish, helps others who are going through a similar experience.

She said: "Without the money from the Oxfordshire Women's Forum, I would not have been able to do the course I needed to get the business going. It has been a great help."

The Oxfordshire Women's Forum has been striving for ten years to help women who feel they need support in one way or another.

It works as a kind of social support group, with a calendar of events which women can attend, and now, in its second year, the One Step Ahead Award has just been launched again.

Marion Wilkes, the forum's competition secretary said: "The award offers women the opportunity to apply for financial assistance towards specific training or development."

The forum used to run the Oxfordshire Woman of the Year Award, but decided it was time to update the dynamics of the competition.

Ms Wilkes added: "Instead of rewarding someone for something they had already done, the forum wants to help women, like Ann, who can't go forward without help, but want to achieve a goal.

"It's not just for business professionals - it is women from all walks of life."

The only criteria for entering the competition is that you must really be in need of assistance - Ms Day was certainly a worthy winner last year.

She explained: "In 2003, I took on a fashion business that I renamed Ann Day in Walton Street, Oxford, which I ran for two years but it didn't succeed and in 2005, I had to declare myself bankrupt."

At 51, Ms Day had lost not only her business, but her house too.

"I lost everything, it was devastating," she recalled.

"I just didn't know what to do - it felt like everything had been stripped away."

It was about this time that she heard about the One Step Ahead Award.

"I thought to myself, I've nothing to lose, so why not go for it?"

She wanted to study for a diploma in performance coaching, and corporate and executive coaching.

"I had done some life coaching before, and knew I wanted to get back into it. I needed more training, but just didn't have the money."

When, at the awards ceremony last December, Ms Day's name was called out as the overall winner, she could not believe it.

She recalled: "They got to announcing the last prize and I thought, Oh well, that's it,' but then my name was called. I was so shocked - it was amazing."

Ms Day feels it was her positive attitude that won her the award.

She added: "I think it was that I'd bounced back so quickly and that I had managed to look on the positive side of things.

"I began to think of it as an opportunity to start again. The slate had been wiped clean and I could do anything I wanted."

Ms Day suddenly realised ithat she had not failed - just her business - and there was nothing she could have done.

Now she has set up Enlightened Coaching, based in North Leigh, near Witney, with partner Erik Cornish and is working with people who themselves have been declared bankrupt.

"The business is up and running and, although we are starting off in Oxford, once we get going, I think it will go much further afield."

Indeed, with UK debt at a record level, and more people than ever being declared bankrupt, it is sure to be a much-needed resource.

Ms Day said: "There is nothing there to help these people get back on their feet and that is what we will do.

"And once I am back on my feet, I would love to give something back to the forum. Without it, this would not be happening for me."

She added: "The money I won was brilliant, but more than that it was actually winning something - after feeling like a loser for so long, I was a winner again."

For information about the One Step Ahead Award, contact Marion Wilkes on 01844 260703 or e-mail marion@bkwilkes.freeserve.co.uk Enlightened Coaching: 07979 645489 or 07932 654519