A WOMAN whose extraordinary life-story has served as an ‘inspiration’ to others is fundraising to for a well-being group that ‘saved her life’.

Antoinette Ede’s remarkable tale of overcoming adversity began when she was found abandoned in a phone box as a baby.

After years of going from foster home to foster home, Antoinette, pictured left, literally ran away with the circus at age 14, having joined when it was visiting Newton Abbot.

Antoinette was eventually tracked down by the police in Bridport and sent home to Devon.

Sadly, her life has been a tale of overcoming tragedy, such as only tracking down her birth father some weeks after he died.

She recently told of how the Women’s Well-being Club in Newton Abbot was a ‘lifeline’ through dark times and that she wanted to give something back to the well-being group.

Antoinette said she was ‘utterly determined’ to help the club that has given her so much.

She said: ‘I need to raise awareness of the many women who say they’re fine and really they’re not fine.

‘If you’re struggling with your mental health, it’s not always easy to tell your husband or family.

‘If I can go through what I’ve gone through, then any woman can be helped by the group.’

Since Antoinette decided to go public with her life story, women from across the world have contacted her with messages of support and admiration.

She has set a fundraising target of £2,000 to expand the work of the Women’s Well-being group.

To learn more about Antoinette’s remarkable life, full details can be found on her website, where donations can also be made to help her reach her £2,000 target for the Women’s Well-being Club: www.antoinette.life