A STUDENT midwife who left school at 16 without GCSEs is now up for national award recognition.

Jade Parsons, known commonly as Jade Pritchard, has been nominated for the ‘Student Midwife of the Year’ having dropped out of school at 16.

Jade, 27, from Holywell, became pregnant aged 16, and left school without GCSEs, before joining Coleg Cambria several years later to resit them.

After passing in flying colours and receiving a ‘Student of the Year’ award while at college, Jade joined Bangor University to study midwifery.

And in her final year of training, Jade has been nominated for the award in recognition for her dedicated hard work in pursuit of her goal.

Jade, who is on course for a First Class Honours degree, said: “I’ve always wanted to be a midwife so have worked really hard to be within touching distance of my goal.

"I’d like my story to inspire other girls who are in a similar position that I was at 16, with a baby and no qualifications that with hard work you can achieve anything.”

Jade is currently based at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire and Holywell Community Hospital.

On why she feels she has been nominated for the Student Midwife of the Year award, Jade said: “I just try really hard to help people, and often put other people’s work before my own.

"A combination of that and where I’ve come from are the two main reasons I think I’ve been nominated.”

Jade is in up against two other midwifery students to claim the award, with the ceremony to be held at the Queens Hotel in Leeds next month.