“You won’t beat me!”

For 23-year-old Jaz Woodward, opening her very own business this year in Welshpool was a dream come true.

The popular Welshpool woman has been a top-notch baker for years, so she decided to hone her skills into a profession and opened Baked by Jaz just off the town centre.

And it has flourished, proving popular with townspeople and visitors alike who have become captivated by Jaz’s incredible knack for creating delicious food, served with a smile that is as welcoming as her cakes.

But in the run-up to Christmas it all turned sour for Jaz who became the target for sickening Instagram abuse which was racial, sexual and threatening in nature.

She has shared some of those awful comments with MyWelshpool, and the use of the ‘n’ word is in abundance in what appears to be a targeted campaign to strike fear into the talented young businesswoman.

“It has been terrible,” said Jaz, who has reported it to police. “Some of the comments involved sexual harassment, rape, burning the shop down, knowing where I live, and saying “n*****s like you shouldn’t be in this town”.

“These comments have affected me massively. The thought of me returning to work has filled me with dread and anxiety. I now don’t feel safe being there after dark.”

But Jaz was not to be defeated, opening up yesterday and enjoying a bumper day of trade as well wishers flooded in to show their support.

“Thank-you to everyone for their support. It really does mean the world to me,” she said.

Now the hunt begins to find the vile person or people who have made this hard-working young woman’s Christmas a miserable and terrifying experience.

She says she has no idea who it is, but believes it could stem from a link from a story she posted on her Instagram page.

“Someone has obviously saved the link to use it to harass me,” she said. “There’s also been messages from fake Instagram accounts. I think it’s only one person doing it, or possibly a group of people who are involved in it together.”

While it is sickening, and somewhat sad to know this sort of thing still happens, and in our community too, one thing for certain is that Jaz will receive overwhelming support from the Welshpool community – and she will repay that faith with delicious food.

If you know, or suspect who the person/people may be, contact the police on 101.

PICTURE (Pix by Vix): Open for business – Jaz has faced horrific online abuse.