A student from Harrow is starring in a national television advert.

Sarah Al Saedi, who attends Hatch End High School, was chosen as one of 20 young people to feature in the campaign for the National Citizen Service (NCS).

The 18-year-old was selected from thousands of young people across the country to be the face of the youth programme after being named as an NCS Leader in October 2015.

Sarah said: “I would like to spread awareness of this amazing opportunity. I would strongly wish for other 16 to 17 year olds to have an experience like I did.”

The teenager was whisked away to take part in an advertising and photo shoot in London by creative director, Giorgio Testi, who has also worked with The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Adele, Adidas, Red Bull and Converse.

The advert shows friends from NCS being reunited to relive their NCS experiences through 360° projections of footage filmed during the programme.

It aired on January 17 on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky and will run until the end of February. It will also be shown in cinemas throughout February.

NCS is a three week part-residential programme open to 16 and 17 year olds across England and Northern Ireland.

It costs no more than £50 and aims to help young people take the next step in their lives with confidence by mixing with other young people, learning practical skills that prepare them for life after school and home and taking on exciting challenges.

More than 200,000 young people have taken part in the government-backed programme since it started in 2011.

Laura Nelson, relationship manager of NCS provider, The Challenge, said: “It’s so great to have one of our graduates involved in this exciting advertising campaign.

"Like hundreds of other young people that come through NCS every year, Sarah came out of the programme feeling empowered and eager to spread the word.

"From abseiling and rock climbing to living away from home to running your own community project– this campaign brings to life what NCS is all about through the voices of the young people that have transformed their own lives through the NCS programme.

"We hope it will encourage teens to sign up for this year’s programme, which is set to be our biggest yet.”