A YOUNG student who wrote a speech about what she would do if she could go back in time has won a local award.

Sara Hussain, from Blackburn, will be this year’s recipient of the Leader’s Award, which was created by community group One Voice Blackburn.

The student, 12, talked about inventing a time machine so she could persuade Salman Abedi not to carry out mass murder as fans left the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena nearly three years ago.

Her speech, If I Could Change the World, won top prize in a schools’ public speaking competition and has been widely shared on social media.

She said: “I wrote from the heart and was overwhelmed by the response to it.

“This shows how important it is to be a part of such an amazing community and to belong.

“I wish I could do more to help the community of Blackburn with Darwen.

Sara will be presented with the Leader’s Award by council leader Cllr Mohammed Khan at the One Voice Annual Dinner at King George’s Hall on Saturday, February, 22.