A 17-year-old is hoping to create more awareness of mental health issues within young people in her series of new books.

Safiyya Hanslod attends St Wilfrid’s Academy and is a member of West End Girls (WEGs), a girl group run by One Voice Blackburn.

'Sam’s Diaries', charts the story of Samantha and her battle with anxiety.

The four-book series, which is written by the teenager, will be distributed to primary school children in Blackburn and Darwen.

Safiyya has a keen interest in mental health and last year conducted a project on eating disorders. 

She said: “I have spent quite a lot of time researching and writing the book, and also working with an illustrator and I can’t wait to see the final version. 

"This is a subject close to my heart and I hope that my work can support young children who are suffering from anxiety or other forms of mental health.

“One Voice is always encouraging young people to reach for their goals, and they have been instrumental in making this happen.”

A total of 5,000 copies of Sam’s Diaries will be printed later this summer and delivered to primary schools in the borough in September 2024.

One Voice is currently working with the Lancashire and South Cumbria’s Integrated Care Board and Spring North in delivering projects aimed at training professionals on how to deal with mental health patients in the NHS and other agencies.