A Monmouthshire youth conference took place recently at Usk's County Hall.

Organised by MonLife Youth Service, the gathering included 40 students from secondary schools across the county such as King Henry VIII 3-19 School, Monmouth Comprehensive School, and Chepstow Comprehensive School.

The focus of the event's talks and activities were the outcomes from this year's Make Your Mark ballot, a survey which invited young Monmouthshire residents to provide opinions on issues affecting their lives.

The ballot this year saw 2,112 participants aged 11-18, highlighting their main concerns.

The main three issues were cost of living (29 per cent), mental health (15 per cent), and transport (13 per cent). During the conference, these concerns were addressed by the likes of Mind Our Futures Gwent, mental health services, MCC's Active Travel team, and MCC's lead for tackling poverty.

Students had a chance to share their thoughts and feedback on how to improve these areas for the county's youth.

In attendance was Monmouthshire County Council's cabinet member for education, Cllr Martyn Groucutt, who praised the conference, saying: "Seeing the young people engage with officers from across the council and partners provided our officers with great understanding on the top three topics from the Make Your Mark ballot.

"Taking part allowed me to get a better understanding of these issues.

"Thank you to the participants for their engagement. It was a fantastic day.

"I look forward to seeing the continued work our Youth Service officers will do with the young people attending the conference and across the county."

For further information about the MonLife Youth and Community Team's work, visit the MonLife website.