THE job of ensuring that the views of young people in the UK are heard has fallen on the shoulders of a Swindon teenager.

Nicola Haracz, 16, from The Bramp-tons, Shaw, has taken a place on the UK's first ever teenage advisory board, Generation Wicked.

She was selected to be one of 12 girls who will debate the issues of the day and pass their comments on to the Government.

The committee's first meeting was held earlier this week at a secret location in London and another is planned for next spring.

The new board was the brainchild of Wickedcolors.com, an internet site for 11-17 year-old girls, which has 50,000 members across the country.

Regular surveys on the website revealed that teenage girls were frustrated about the lack of representation for their generation in social, political and economic arenas.

Nicola, a New College student and former Ridgeway School pupil, said: "I was so shocked when Wickedcolors contacted me to say I had been shortlisted and astounded when I was finally selected. It was without doubt the proudest moment of my life.

"The meeting was amazing not only have I met and made friends with so many like-minded girls but to be given the opportunity to represent the teenage girls of the UK has been a real honour.

"We have discussed some really interesting subjects and we are all now prepared to fight for what we believe in."

The board has been commended by Tessa Jowell MP, minister for women, and has the backing of the Foundation of Psychotherapists and Counsellors.

Among the issues at the top of their agenda are lowering the age of consent to 12, campaigning for more after-school clubs and demanding better sex and drugs education.

Ms Jowell said: "I think it's very important that young women's views are heard and recognised by the Govern-ment. Generation Wicked really is a fantastic initiative in that it allows the girls of today to voice strong opinions on a wide range of issues."