Mum's the word

CONTRAST the mindless mother-of-three who decided to spend her benefits money taking her children to the funeral of fugitive killer Raoul Moat and the inspiring "can do" attitude of teenage mum Lisa Stephenson.

By The Newsroom

Published 4th Aug 2010, 23:25 BST

Updated 4th Aug 2010, 23:25 BST

One is a story of despair; the other, by contrast, is a story of hope, and an example of how individuals have it within their own power to overcome life's many, and varied, obstacles.

Take Lisa. Pregnant at 15, a teenage mum just days after her 16th birthday, her career potentially in ruins and a mother-of-two by the time she was 18 years of age, she could easily have become another of those individuals, totally dependent on state handouts, who form the statistical backdrop to "Broken Britain".

Yet, instead of relying exclusively on benefits, Lisa has found a way to create a loving family, find work and return to college to obtain the qualifications that she requires to follow her career.

We wish Lisa well – her practical, proactivie approach show what can be achieve with the right mindset.

It is an example that countless others would be advised to follow

rather than simply blaming others for their fate.