Belfast school pupils meet 'fantastic' Little Amal

Little Amal was greeted by schoolchildren at Stormont

A 12ft (3.7m) puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee has began her tour of Belfast by visiting Stormont and a peace wall in the west of the city.

Little Amal, whose name means 'hope' in Arabic, is making her way across Belfast for the next two days before moving on to Londonderry.

The centrepiece of a performance art project, The Walk, Little Amal has come to symbolise human rights and bring hope, according to the project.

She was created by the Handspring Puppet Company - the firm behind the puppet horses featured in the War Horse stage play.

Her arrival into Northern Ireland is a signature event in Belfast City Council's Belfast 2024 programme.

Little Amal visited Stormont on Friday

Dozens of pupils from Fane Street Primary School and Ravenscroft Nursery, as well as Stormont Junior Minister Aisling Reilly, were there to greet Little Amal at the bottom of the steps of Parliament Buildings on Friday morning.

One pupil from Fane Street PS told BBC News NI: “She was way bigger than I expected but it was really fun.

"Our school is a school of sanctuary for refugees, so I really think it was nice.”

Another schoolgirl said: “She was fantastic, I loved her.”

Little Amal and another identical puppet met at the peace wall on Northumberland Street in west Belfast

At the peace wall on Northumberland Street, near the Shankill Road and Falls Road, children from St Mary’s Primary and Malvern Primary, accompanied by an identical Little Amal puppet, exchanged gifts.

The puppet had docked at Donegall Quay in Belfast at 18:30 BST on Thursday and was welcomed by Lord Mayor of Belfast Ryan Murphy.

Her time in Belfast will also see her visit CS Lewis Square in the east and attend a host of community events and art installations, before a night of theatrical local music in St Anne's Cathedral.

After visiting Belfast, Little Amal will go to Derry, Newcastle and Newry before crossing the border to Dundalk and, eventually, Dublin.