We are devastated by the death of our trustee and friend Lyra McKee in Derry.  Lyra was a brilliant, talented journalist who has been an advocate of young people and their views and voices ever since she was a participant at Headliners in Belfast as a young teenager.  It was at Headliners where she began to learn her craft of journalism and, she said, where she gained the confidence to be able to pursue her passion of investigating and writing about difficult issues. We have been reading the messages about the great impact her work has had on many communities and people during her short life.

Chair of Headliners, Jon Hudson, said:  “Lyra was a dedicated journalist and committed to supporting the young people of Northern Ireland. We were delighted when Lyra agreed to become a trustee and bring her experience and passion to the board.  Her insights and generosity will be sorely missed.”

Chief Executive of Headliners, Fiona Wyton, said:  “I first remember Lyra as a feisty, confident young woman of 16 when I met her at our Belfast bureau.   She had written stories about bullying, reducing the voting age to 16 and had taken part in a visit to an international AIDS conference in Toronto.

"Talking to her over the past year about becoming a trustee, she said that when she first came to Headliners as a young teenager she was very shy, had low self-esteem and was destined to do badly in her GCSEs and she said support from our staff then gave her the determination to go on and work hard and follow her passion for writing and journalism and she continued to be a passionate advocate for young people's views.    Although she had a very busy and successful career,  she was determined to “give back” to Headliners and support us by becoming a trustee of our charity. This demonstrates her generous nature, something her friends and colleagues know only too well.  Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time."

Enquiries should be directed to:

[email protected] or 07968 459947

Headliners is a charity giving a voice to vulnerable young people through multi-media journalism. We believe young people have the right to be heard and we support them to express their views and fulfil their potential.

Photo Credit: Jesse Lowe Photography