A baker and business owner in Welshpool has hailed the support of her customers after becoming the victim of a "targeted" campaign of online abuse.

Jaz Woodward, the 23-year-old owner of Baked by Jaz, became the victim of threatening comments on her business’s Instagram page, including sexually and racially abusive messages.

She has described the nature of the comments as resembling a targeted hate campaign and says that they have caused severe anxiety and dread in her working life.

Jaz said: “Previously to the online abuse my social media experience has been fine, there’s always going to be people who don’t like what you’re doing or don’t like changes to be made to the town and that’s fine because you can’t always please everyone.

“Being brought up in a small town, originally from Forden, I’ve always received racial comments from people because I look different to everyone else, so when I had the first lot of messages I didn’t really think anything of it because it’s just something that unfortunately I’ve had to grow up with.

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“But when the messages from the same account to begin with kept on coming daily, from multiple fake accounts created just to send threatening messages to me, including pictures of my house at night or of me in the shop early hours in the morning, it felt like targeted harassment.”

Jaz had started baking four years ago, and her online business grew rapidly over lockdown. In October last year she opened her shop on Stanley Street.

She first started receiving threatening messages in December and immediately reported them to the social media platforms as well as the police.

County Times: Jaz Woodward outsider her shop in Welshpool, Baked by Jaz. Photo from Pix by Vix. Jaz Woodward outsider her shop in Welshpool, Baked by Jaz. Photo from Pix by Vix.

“People shouldn’t be able to send slurs and hateful messages like that without consequence," she added. "It’s so easy to hide behind a screen without seeing the real-life damages that are being done to the people receiving the messages.

“The messages have definitely had an effect on my work space and ethic. I worked so hard to create a space that I love going to everyday, but now it fills me with so much anxiety having to go there alone.

“I’m such a people person but now I get anxious talking to the customers because it’s all completely anonymous I have no idea who it may be.”

Jaz said that in the wake of the harassment she has received support from her customer base and community.

She added: “The support I’ve had in the wake of this has been amazing. Lots of my regular customers have been in early in the morning to sit with me or have come in before I close to make sure I’m not alone. It’s completely overwhelming and so nice to know that I have such a strong supportive network of people around me.

“Business in the run up to Christmas was crazy we have had some of our busiest days so far which has been amazing. I’m so grateful to everyone that has come in to support us, especially during a cost of living crisis, it just means so much to me.

“I think more needs to be done in the community to recognise and appreciate the minority communities within Welshpool and the surrounding areas. The schools should have more lessons to teach the pupils about different ethnicities and religions so we’re not seen as ‘different’ from everyone else.”