A Banbury teenager has said she wants to ensure young people of all backgrounds can experience the countryside after being chosen as a youth ambassador for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE).

Zainab Ahmed, 17, has joined a group of 35 DofE Award-holding youths aged between 16 and 24 from across the UK, who will share their insights on pertinent issues affecting them.

Their duties will extend to speaking at events, meeting key parliamentary figures, and contributing to decisions that could influence the DofE charity's planning.

A distinct aspect of Ms Ahmed's ambition as a youth ambassador is the promotion of opportunities for ethnic minorities who may not always have access to such programmes.

She said: "Being from a minority group, I am very conscious that there are young people in the UK right now, who look like me but aren’t given the same opportunities as me.

"Hiking in the countryside is not always something that people in my community do, so I was thrilled to try something new through my DofE Award, and I want other young people to have the same opportunity I did.”

Ms Ahmed's own journey with the DofE began when she was a student at The Warriner School in Bloxham.

Ms Ahmed said: "I was diagnosed with a heart condition part way through my Silver DofE Award, so it was touch and go whether I would get the chance to complete my expedition section, which I was looking forward to the most."

Her doctor eventually gave her clearance to participate and she managed to join her friends in the Dorset countryside, an experience she eagerly awaited having never been able to camp or hike as a child.

Ms Ahmed underwent open heart surgery soon after the expedition, and now she intends to aim for the Gold Award.

As part of completing the DofE, young participants between 14 and 24 must engage in physical activities, develop a skill, volunteer, and take part in an expedition.

If they are aiming for the Gold level, they must also participate in a residential.

The programme aims to help them to discover new hobbies, contribute to their communities, build resilience and self-belief, and develop sought-after skills, all while striving for the award.

The DofE had its highest ever enrolment this year, and it expanded its reach to include community organisations and prisons to increase access.

Ashley Williams, UK youth engagement manager at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: "As a charity, we’re determined to put young people at the heart of everything we do and to connect them with opportunities to make a positive impact on the issues they care about - and we can’t wait to see what our new cohort of Youth Ambassadors achieve this year."