The music superstar Ed Sheeran has met young people and teachers during a visit to Belfast.

His visit to the city was part of the launch of the Ed Sheeran foundation, which supports the teaching of music in schools.

It aims to improve access to music for young people by providing instruments and opportunities for performances.

Ed Sheeran visited music organisations in Belfast alongside Snow Patrol star Gary Lightbody.

James Ayo of Hotbox said that the Ed Sheeran Foundation’s backing would enable them to support recordings and performances by around 50 musicians.

Sheeran also spent time with young people at Drake Music NI, a charity which helps adults and children of all abilities make music.

Gary Lightbody has also previously supported the charity.

Speaking to BBC News NI, Ed Sheeran said that an increasing number of schools across the UK were not offering music lessons to pupils.

Sheeran said that he “wasn’t good at any other subjects apart from music” at school and that music gave him “value in myself”.

He said that music and the arts are an important export for the UK, and it “seems weird that nobody’s putting any importance on the next generation”.

He said that it had been “such a buzz coming to see so much young talent in Northern Ireland”.

“There is no lack of amazing people and projects there is just a lack of funding and interest,” he said.

Speaking to BBC News NI Lightbody – who was one of the founders of the Oh Yeah Music centre that music was “criminally underfunded in Northern Ireland”.

Lightbody praised Sheeran’s work and said it was “amazing that he has included Northern Ireland”.

“We never get included,” he added.

“I would have definitely loved at that age, you know 14, 15 years old of having something at school that I could have latched onto.”

While in Northern Ireland, Ed Sheeran also made a donation of guitars to and met with music teachers from Belfast Boy’s Model, Coláiste Feirste and Malone Integrated College.