LYMM High School student Imogen Walsh has become the member of UK Youth Parliament for Cheshire.
The Year 10 student won an election for one of 300 seats, which she will hold for the next two years.
Gwyn Williams, Headteacher at Lymm High School said: ‘We are very proud of Imogen’s well deserved election to the UK Youth Parliament – she will be an excellent, democratic representative for her peers, and will be tenaciously determined – she is a great ambassador for young people and embodies the ethos of Lymm High School perfectly. We wish her luck and she has the full support of our school community.’
Run by young people, the Youth Parliament provides opportunities for 11-18 year olds to use their voice in creative ways to bring about social change.
Every year the parliament chooses a national campaign and for 2017 candidates campaigned for better transport, the living wage and better opportunities for young people.
Mental health was also chosen as a priority campaign for England.
As the areas Member of the Youth Parliament, Imogen will now be responsible for rolling out her program and representing the youth in her area.
She hopes young people in Warrington can have a say on issues directly affecting them such as environmentally friendly public transport and the promotion of mental health services, especially support in schools.
She has also called for greater increase of school funding in Warrington.
With a new funding formula set to be introduced from April next year, Warrington’s schools face losing almost a quarter of a million pounds a year and the borough to become one of the worst-funded in the country.
Talking about the results Imogen said: “I am really pleased to have won and want to thank everyone for their support. The school funding proposals by the government are completely unfair for schools in Warrington.
“Young people of Warrington work really hard whilst at school and deserve the same opportunities as other young people in the country”
The Year 10 Student said: “I now feel I can give young people a voice to ensure the views of young people in Warrington are listened to by decision makers.”
