A TEESSIDE student has addressed teenage delegates at an international conference in Russia.

St Michael’s Catholic Academy pupil Ross Beall was one of only two students to be chosen to represent the UK at the UNESCO Youth Forum in St Petersburg.

The 15-year-old, of Billingham, who was diagnosed with type one diabetes when he was three-years-old, addressed hundreds of young delegates from across the globe on youth and healthy lifestyles.

“Having diabetes has never held me back in anything,” said the teenager who plays ice hockey for Billingham Stars U16s.

“It’s something that I’m always aware of but, managed correctly, through monitoring my blood sugar levels and having regular insulin injections, it doesn’t stop me doing anything that I want to do.

“It was a complete surprise when I was asked to speak at the UNESCO Youth Forum. I felt really honoured to have been chosen and to be able to outline health problems among young people and submit proposals to the EU and Russian governments on how to tackle and improve the situation by pushing for healthier lifestyles.”

Ross was picked to represent the UK after taking part in the Most Education World Youth Exchange, hosted by Durham University, where students from Finland, Germany, Bulgaria, China and the UK took part in week-long multi-cultural exchange.