School children from Belfast had the unique opportunity to play basketball with an influential American investor and businessman on Tuesday as part of a cross-community initiative.
Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca met with pupils from several schools participating in a project organised by Peace Players Northern Ireland.
The basketball session is part of a 'twinning programme' that allows children from Protestant and Catholic primary schools to come together and form friendships.
Attending the event, which was held at Queen's PEC, were children from Donegall Road PS, St Bride's PS and St John the Baptist PS.
The schools take part in regular sessions with PeacePlayers, which was set up around 20 years, and uses basketball as a way of helping "build lasting friendships among young people from communities with histories of conflict".
The organisation also teaches children about the "dynamics of conflict and how to overcome it, and most importantly, how to share this knowledge with others".
Mr Pagliuca, who is understood to be visiting the city as part of US delegation to Northern Ireland, played basketball with the children at the session on Tuesday.
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Aoife Redmond, regional programme co-ordinator from Peace Players, said they were delighted to welcome the US basketball owner.
"The children are currently taking part in a twinning programme that twins Protestant and Catholic schools together through a six-week programme of activities," she said.
"It brings the schools together through basketball, which the children love.
"We had a few visitors to our session today, Marc Mulholland from Basketball NI and Stephen Pagliuca, who both got involved, doing some shooting practice and they chatted to the children, asking them what inspired them.
"They were keen to learn about what the children were doing, what the programme is about and were asking the children and those who run the sessions about it from their perspective."
Ms Redmond added: "The programme aims to allow the children to form good friendships and relationships with each other.
"The children come from different communities, so it is important to bring them together - they are our hope for the future."
