Aodhán (19) receives Diana Legacy Award

Aodhán Roberts (19) received his award from Lord Spencer, brother of the late Princess of Wales, during a visit to Althorp House in Northampton.

He also met with the Duke of Cambridge at Kensington Palace.

Following the murder of a journalist in Derry in 2019, Aodhán set up the social media page, ‘Derry Footage’, to share stories and encourage other young people to speak up against wrongdoings. Despite having struggled in mainstream schooling, eventually being withdrawn from mainstream education, Aodhán overcame his problems and managed to achieve nine GCSEs.

Then, Aodhán lost his grandmother, his mother’s partner and his own mother in just a few months. At the age of 17, he found himself on his own, with no legal guardian or financial stability. But he refused to let these tragedies crush him. It was while studying creative media in college that he created ‘Derry Footage’ which, he says, gave him a chance to create a “sense of community and togetherness” in Derry and share untold stories that deserved greater attention.

Aodhán says the award means so much to him.

“It will continue to help me thrive in my own work and in life... I would like to use this as a push for myself to keep inspiring creativity and motivation in other young people.”