Rainbow crossing: NI's first rainbow crossing unveiled in Londonderry

The crossing across Foyle Embankment links the Peace Bridge with the Guildhall

The first rainbow pedestrian crossing in Northern Ireland has been unveiled in Londonderry.

It links the Guildhall to the Peace Bridge with the aim of showing support for the city's LGBTQ+ community

The brainchild of the Foyle Pride Committee, it is also thought to be the first rainbow pedestrian crossing on the island of Ireland.

Jim Doherty, chairman of the Pride committee, said it would become a tourist attraction.

"It is in a brilliant location," he told BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show.

"It is iconic, a good reflection of where we live."

He said there were similar crossings in other locations, including Berlin, San Francisco, and Camden.

"We thought it would be nice to have one realised here in Derry," Mr Doherty said.

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney proposed the council fund the crossing during his year as mayor.

Earlier this year Derry City and Strabane District councillors unanimously agreed to fund the crossing after an approach from Foyle Pride.

Then mayor of the city, Brian Tierney, said he was "delighted to see it come to fruition in the heart of our city".

The money for the crossing came from his mayoral budget.

He said Derry's "vibrant LGBT+ community contributes so much to life in this city" and the crossing "solidifies Derry's reputation as a welcoming place for everyone".

Shá Gillespie, founder of Derry's first Pride Parade in 2010, was among the first to cross.

She said visibility was hugely important for the city's LGBTQ+ community and the crossing was a "beautiful sight".

"I felt very emotional walking across it, 10 years after we had our first Pride parade in the city," she added.