Kids in Merseyside and Ukraine unite in poignant kite-flying display for Eurovision

As part of Liverpool's Eurovision host city programme, 450 primary school pupils have gathered in New Brighton to fly kites at precisely the same time as 450 children in four Ukrainian cities.

In this moving project, which is called Land & Sky, Home & Dreams, each pupil has designed their own flag during dedicated workshops, using their artwork to showcase what their hopes are for their future.

Tetyana Filevska, creative director at the Ukrainian Institute, told LiverpoolWorld: "These kids who are taking part in this project today, I think Ukraine will always be part of their memory because it was an exciting experience that they had an opportunity to dream together with our Ukrainian kids about something. To build a future."

In war-torn Ukraine, not all the children were able to gather in the same location in case, at any point, they needed to find safety in an underground shelter. The kite strings in Ukraine were also ten metres shorter than in Liverpool, so the kites do not enter the no-fly zone.

• Watch the video at the top of this page for the full feature and more on EuroFestival in Liverpool.