LATEST NEWS Archives | belfasthills.org

Young people are Buzzing about nature in Falls Park

published on: 03-09-2018

Falls Park is “buzzing” due to a new piece of public art created by local young people from St Gall’s G.A.C. The piece features a large Bee and a beautiful array of wildflowers encouraging people to “Bee one with nature”. The piece was developed during the summer as part of an environmental project with Belfast City Council and Belfast Hills Partnership, and funded by Belfast Harbour. The young people […]

Trainee Ranger Scheme

published on: 10-08-2018

The Belfast Hills Partnership are launching a brand new environmental sector training programme for young people aged 18 – 24. This free traineeship requires no previous experience or qualifications, it only takes one day a week for 15 weeks to complete and will enable the participants to take part in a range of practical conservation tasks such as tree planting, wildflower meadow management, and wildlife surveys. Patricia Deeney, the […]

The Hills are alive with the sound of Science!

published on: 22-05-2018

Volcanoes, earthquakes and solar systems will be going off with a ‘Big Bang’ at Belfast Castle this week, as Belfast Hills Partnership together with the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland host their 2018 STEM-EXPO. This explosive event will provide a fantastic opportunity for young people to see STEM subjects brought to life in unexpected ways and have the chance to talk to scientists and engineers from universities, colleges and leading […]

Small fry make a big splash in the Ballymartin River

published on: 23-03-2018

Schools of salmon streamed into local classrooms last month in refrigerated incubators! Year 9 pupils from Abbey Community College and Hazelwood Integrated College have been hatching fish eggs for release, into their local Ballymartin river with the help of the Belfast Hills Partnership. The project known as ‘Salmon in the Classroom’ gives young people a unique opportunity to learn more about the life cycle of Atlantic Salmon as well […]

Hills Conference Success

published on: 21-03-2018

To celebrate the work undertaken over the past 6 years through our Landscape Partnership Scheme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other partners a two day conference was held on the 14th and 15th March. On day one we looked at a number of projects that have been successfully completed, considered future directions and opportunities, explored a very wet and misty Cave Hill Country Park and celebrated our […]

Young film makers ‘tackling’ the protection of local fish and rivers with animation

published on: 24-01-2018

Year 8 pupils have made a short animation in a bid to protect their local rivers. The Belfast Hills Partnership and Belfast Harbour Commission’s ‘Trout Animation Project’ was created by students from Lagan Integrated College, who were mentored by Joel Simon, an accomplished animator, with over 20 years experience working with clients including CBBC, Comic Relief, Sesame Street and Channel 4. Over eight weeks the students learned about […]

Make Your Mark in the Belfast Hills!

published on: 08-01-2018

Do you love trees and the outdoors? Do you have a ‘New Year’s Resolution’ to get fit or make a difference in 2018? Do you want to make your mark to help local wildlife? If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of these, then the Belfast Hills Partnership can help you fulfill your wishes! We need volunteers to help plant 6,500 trees and hedging plants before the end of March […]

Free Trees from the Woodland Trust

published on: 01-12-2017

Over half a million free trees are currently winging their way to schools and community groups across the UK thanks to the Woodland Trust. It’s the charity’s biggest-ever distribution of free trees and a sign of the public’s growing desire to plant. The saplings – 561,000 to be precise – are equivalent to approximately 350 hectares. And over 24,000 are set to brighten the Northern Ireland landscape. People right […]

Belfast Hills Heritage Angel Flying High

published on: 08-11-2017

There was much celebration at last nights ‘Heritage Angel Awards’ as Tom Meharg was announced as winning the ‘Best Contribution to a Heritage Project by a Young Person’ category for his voluntary work at the Belfast Hills Partnership’s Community Archaeology Digs. The Belfast Hills Partnership nominated Tom into the Ulster Architectural Heritage Societies prestigious ‘Heritage Angel Awards’. This award aims to celebrate the efforts of local people, who have […]

The “Not So Common” Newt

published on: 05-06-2017

One of our less well-known animals in the Belfast Hills is the Common Newt (usually known as the Smooth Newt). Despite its name, it is no longer very common, and is now designated a Northern Ireland Priority Species, and is protected by law. Smooth Newts are 1 of only 2 native amphibians in N. Ireland (the other being the Common Frog). At this time of year, romance is high on […]