Safiyya is Star Author at Seventeen
New Mental Health Book to Support Children’s Mental Health
A seventeen-year-old school girl is set to publish a new book talking about mental health.

“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.”
Safiyya Hanslod is a student at St. Wilfrid’s Academy, and 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. It is part of a four-book series which will be written by the teenager with 5,000 copies distributed to primary school children in Blackburn and Darwen.
One Voice Blackburn have been working in the area of emotional health and wellbeing for over a decade through their Baiter Sehat programme. The charity is currently working with the Lancashire and South Cumbria’s Integrated Care Board and Spring North in delivering projects aimed at training professionals into how to deal with mental health patients in the NHS and other agencies.
One Voice also conduct projects with Lancashire Mind and Blackburn with Darwen’s Public Health department. The charity host a range of men and women’s groups supporting people with negative mental health.
Safiyya Hanslod has been a part of One Voice Blackburn for five years participating in the award-winning West End Girls group, before becoming a youth leader within the organisation in the last 12 months. Safiyya has a keen interest in mental health and last year conducted a project on eating disorders. She is excited about the prospect of her book being published.
“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 are always encouraging young people to reach for their goals, and they have been instrumental in making this happen.”
Sam’s Diaries will be printed later this summer and delivered to primary schools in September 2024.