#MARINE WILDLIFE - Young people from across Northern Ireland showcased their "green-minded" projects to a panel of judges at the 'Dragon's Den' style ECO-Den event at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre last week.

All were hoping that their project would be the one chosen to attend the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards at the Mansion House in Dublin next month, as the Tyrone Times reports.

Among those pitching to the panel of experts were students from Holy Trinity College in Cookstown with their project, Fighting for the Environment, for which they teamed up with the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force Schools Project to help protect local marine life.

It's not the first time that the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force has joined forces with the North's young people, as last summer it supported hundreds of schoolchildren in their Stormon protest calling for new laws to protect Northern Ireland's coastal waters.

More recently, the task force brought together interests from across the spectrum to discuss the new Marine Bill and ensure it will "deliver for all sea users".