A mother from Warminster has thanked the Open University for turning her life around after graduating last Saturday.

Eight years ago Caroline Kenney, 36, of Boreham Field, Warminster, broke up with her ex-husband and lost her home, ending up sleeping on her mother’s floor for six months.

When she was rehoused Ms Kenney, who has two children, Lucy, nine, and Robert, eight, decided to take a degree with the Open University, studying International Studies.

Now she has turned her life around with a new job at the NHS as a neighbourhood team administrator, supporting a team of nurses and physiotherapists.

She said: “It was a really low point in my life because I had nothing and I was quite desperate. My self-esteem was in the toilet at the time.

“When I had got a house and my divorce came through I couldn’t go out to work straight away because the children were very young but I knew I would go insane staying at home doing nothing. I wanted the personal challenge so I started studying.

“I’ve always had a passion for current affairs and it was important for me to do something.

“It’s given me the confidence and skills to present myself, and at the interview they were able to see what I have achieved on my own.

“I’m sure my degree helped me to get the job, especially in the current climate. When I look back to how I felt when I started studying with the Open University and the difference it has made to my life, I can’t put it into words.”

Miss Kenney received her BSc Honours degree at a ceremony in St David’s Hall, Cardiff, on Saturday with her children and new partner Adie Brimble, 40, in attendance.

She added: “It was a wonderful day. They make you feel so special. Even though there are hundreds of people graduating they make it feel like it’s your special day. It was an incredible feeling.”