A Hampstead graduate has joined forces with a university friend to launch a book of poems spotlighting the effects of mental health on young people.

Jess Clark, 22, left Durham University last summer. This week, along with her friend Stephanie Hanson, Jess has begun fundraising for mental health charity MIND by editing and selling a collection called Poems of Hope. In publishing the work of new writers who have experience of mental health difficulties, their goal is to increase empathy for those affected by this.

The pair held a launch event with contributors in West Heath Road. Jess explained: "At present there is a society-wide push towards greater awareness about mental health but there is still a stigma." She added: "As someone who has suffered from depression I would like this book to play a part in building a society in which emotional understanding is more integrated in the fabric of our daily lives."

For more information or to buy a book email poemsofhope1@gmail.com