A BARNSLEY student who suffered mental health problems as a child helped make the subject a priority after being appointed as vice chairman of the Youth Select Committee.

Pegah Moulana, 18, is one of only 11 young people to be appointed to the committee after more than 100 applications.

The committee is a British Youth Council Initiative which is supported by the House of Commons which takes evidence in public and has its proceedings televised and recorded in Hansard.

Pegah, of Green View, Shafton, said: "When I was seven, I started to suffer from mental health problems. I lived in Iran and the situation was not good. I came to England when I was nine and the services weren't perfect.

"I attempted suicide when I was nine, because of racism and bullying and that is when I started using Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS), so it is something which is quite important to me."