THE first member of an Ainsworth family to go to university is hoping to help young people with mental health issues, after overcoming the death of her grandmother to graduate.

Former Bury College student Rebekah Cook, aged 21, graduated with a BSc Clinical and Health Psychology degree from Bangor University and now aims to become a counsellor.

She said: "At the beginning of my second year my nana, who I was close to, passed away very unexpectedly.

"This was an extremely painful time and I was off university for about a month. I have battled with my mental health throughout my three years and at times it has been really difficult, but with the right help and support I managed to overcome everything and now I am graduating.

"In the future, I hope to become a counsellor for adolescents, to help young people who are facing the same difficulties and struggles I faced and to hopefully make a difference within mental health."