Ella Nowroz, 17, is a pupil at Wellington College and has been honoured with the Diana Award, a prize set up in memory of Princess Diana and her belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better.

In October last year, Ella organised and held an innovative day at the school dedicated to mental health activism, where she invited guest speakers and engaged pupils with a number of activities and discussions.

Hundreds of pupils and more than 30 teachers became involved, where youngsters produced activist videos, art installations and skits written and performed in the school’s theatre to a large audience.

Ella, who will attend an awards ceremony to collect her prize in London later this year, said: “I am over the moon and immensely proud of winning this award.

“I picked a subject that I felt extremely passionate about and I was lucky enough for the school to support me all the way in pulling off an amazing service day.

“There was so much hard work put into the day, with the help of charities that worked with us, and watching it all pay off was enough reward for me, but to be recognised is something I am so excited about.

“This award has made me realise that if you put your mind to it, no matter what age, you honestly can make a difference, and I can’t wait to continue taking action to help the wider community.” Cressida Henderson, assistant head teacher at the school, said Ella was the first person from the school to be given the award.

She said: “This is a fantastic achievement, showing that service remains central to what pupils do at Wellington College.

“The news also celebrates one of the late 8th Duke of Wellington’s most important values, that of service to others, following on so soon from his death at the end of last year.”