A YOUNG woman whose "life has been changed" by tattooing over scars caused by self harming has begun a new venture to help those in a similar position.

Jess King, 27, from Heaton, has struggled with her mental health for more than 15 years.

It came to a head earlier this year when she had a breakdown and, following a number of suicide attempts, was admitted to Lynfield Mount Hospital.

During her struggle, Jess self harmed which left her with large scars on both arms.

She says that as she began to recover, she felt "trapped" by the scarring and was conscious of how visible they were.

"It was limiting what I was doing," she said.

"I could not go out without a cardigan on, I was spending a lot of time inside, which affected my anxiety."

Jess visited Skinflicted in Keighley, which provides tattooing for breast cancer survivors who have undergone mastectomies, and asked if her scars would be able to be covered.

Generous friends chipped in to help her pay for the tattoos, which took around four hours to complete.

Jess said: "As soon as it was done, I felt like a completely new person.

"My cardigan came straight off. I started to think about other people in the same position - they can't really afford it, but they are stuck inside and trapped by what they have done in the past."

She added: "It affects everything. It can really damage a person's life."

With new-found confidence, Jess was inspired to start a new not-for-profit organisation to help fund other people's scar cover ups when they may struggle to afford it.

Jess enlisted the help of three friends, one of whom has also had her own cover up, and the Scar Cover Up Freedom Fund was born.

Its aim is to giving people freedom from the pain of the past.

She said: "For me, it's so important to make sure people can access that fund where they need it."

As well as helping to fund the tattooing, Jess says they also want to build up a database of tattooists who are willing to do cover ups.

It's also helped her to stop wanting to self harm again.

"I've got beautiful works of art on my arm, I don't want to damage that," she said.

And her tattoos have a poignant message within them - vines to represent growth and also a semi-colon, which represents suicide survival.

She said: "It has given me hope to kind of move on. I'm trying my best to try and get out there and just move on.

"It's slowly changing the way I'm thinking - I'm not magically cured but it's helping and it will help in future."

Within three days of the Facebook page being launched, the friends already had two requests for help, but they say they cannot start their "vital work" without funding.

For more information about the Scar Cover Up Freedom Fund, visit www.facebook.com/scarcoverupfreedomfund or to donate, visit www.chuffed.org/project/start-up-funds.