Children in Derry tell their stories of how the coronavirus lockdown is affecting them

Young people in Derry have used a special competition to express their feelings about the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Michaela Boyle launched the 'What's Your Story?' competition at the start of May, asking primary school children to submit a story, picture or poem about their feelings on the current Covid-19 situation, and some of the positives they have taken from it.

With hundreds of entries coming in from all parts of the district, the Mayor selected Ameya Nair (Lisnagelvin PS), Daithí Ó'Donghaile (Gaelscoil na Daróige), Amelia Lyle (Drumahoe PS), Christopher Conaghan (Gaelscoil Eadain Mhoir), Emmet Glenn (St Paul's PS) and Meaghan McKee (St Patrick's PS, Castlederg) as her winners, and they will each receive a special goodie bag of prizes.

Mayor Boyle said that choosing the winners was a very tough task.

"First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of the children who took part in 'What's your story?'

"I really enjoyed going through all of the fantastic poems, stories and pictures and it was so difficult to pick winners – they all could have won!

"The creativity, talent and resilience of our young people really shone through for me with this initiative, and they deserve praise for how well they have handled this unusual and sometimes scary situation that we find ourselves in."

Mayor Boyle continued: "It certainly isn't easy to be away from your school and your friends, but it was so inspiring to see how they have taken the positives from this different way of life - and I think all of us adults can learn a thing or two from them about their outlook.

"A big congratulations to our winners Ameya, Daithí, Amelia, Christopher, Emmet and Meaghan – I hope you enjoy your goodie bag.

"There's no doubt we have some incredibly talented and special young writers and artists in our council area, so make sure you keep drawing and writing!"