A former Newsnight reporter who was diagnosed with autism aged 57 has become a public governor of the region's mental health trust.

Clare Smith, 61, and her daughter Ally, 18, were both diagnosed with the Asperger syndrome form of autism in 2013.

Mrs Smith, who lives in Beeston Regis, near Sheringham, has become one of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT)'s seven public governors representing Norfolk and has taken up a three-year term of office.

She said: 'One of my priorities as a new governor is to get out and about in the community to raise awareness of the trust and to find out what people think we're doing well and not so well.

'Many local people don't seem to know that they own the trust. If they become public members, they can have a significant say on how it's run. I also want to help raise awareness about autism.'