They huddled under umbrellas which couldn’t seem to fend off the swirling rain as they stood beside a Belfast round-about and sang Christmas carols.  Cars swished past them.  Takeaways were ordered and collected in the chip shop opposite.  Life seemed to pass them by.  It was a moment that could so easily have been missed.
This [...]

It was almost twilight on a cold autumn’s evening on Belfast’s Shankill Road - and it was time.  Time for the vampires to come out to play.  There were three of them and their mission was clear - to invert the traditional practice of trick or treating and spread a bit of hope in west [...]

Flags: they can define us, divide us, inspire us, provoke us… These pieces of coloured material that flutter in the breeze, decorating our neighbourhoods, can often spark some deep reactions…
And so a visual artist from Belfast decided to try and use flags to forge new links between our communities here.  Raymond Watson was in Tibet [...]

If there had been no intervention they probably would have remained as faceless enemies their entire lives.    One came from the Falls, the other from the Shankill.  Both had lost brothers in the Troubles.  Both had witnessed so much harsh history.  But Sean and Rab forged a unique affinity, which has taken them into [...]

“It’s less about sandwiches and buns and more about days like this - seeing the community come together.”  The words of one elderly lady on Shaw Street after the second year of their ‘Big Lunch’ street party.  It was a grey, rainy Sunday afternoon but this little east Belfast street was lit up with laughter [...]

The traffic lights turned red on Belfast’s Albertbridge Road.  Jonny drew his car up to the line, lost in thoughts of life, exams and student banter. But then his eyes were alerted to a scene of confusion going on outside.  People running, punches being thrown, a guy in a white tracksuit approaching his car…
Jonny’s mind [...]

They spend their days, and often their nights, aiding those who are homeless in Belfast.  They aim to support people in making the move off the street and towards independent living.  They long to provide a sense of belonging and community for those sleeping rough on our streets.  They are the staff of The Welcome [...]

Stuart, Joel, Thomas, Mark, John, James, Dean.  Seven friends with a dream for Belfast.  Seven guys with a passion to see city neighbours become friends…
‘Everyday Belfast’ is an idea which began in student circles at Queens University in September 2010.  Stuart Bothwell, was one of of the initiators:  “I guess we saw that student culture [...]

The tattered old book sat in the middle of the vintage style stage, bursting with stories which would soon be told.  The photographs and art were in place, the musicians and story-tellers ready.  And then the Black Box in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter started to fill up.  There was a buzz in the air.  The city [...]

He’d had enough.  Felt like there was no point in struggling on.  This was it.
David* had been finding university tough for the last few months but couldn’t see any other alternative for his life.  He felt like he’d just have to keep going, hoping that something better was on the way.  But to him it [...]