Community
Community
Discover the work we done in partnership with the local community as part of the Landscape Partnership Scheme (2012 – 2018).
Evidence of the rich heritage of the hills is still present today. There is a great need however, to educate people about it. Likewise the Belfast Hills have a rich variety of underlying geology – clearly seen in old and existing quarries throughout the area. Many people are aware of the biodiversity of the hills, but the geodiversity is often overlooked and generally under-appreciated.
The Landscape Partnership Scheme produced publications on townlands, history and geology which have raised awareness of heritage. They have been circulated widely, are free of charge and still available after the Scheme.
View and download:
Belfast Hills Townlands Publication
Rivers Awareness:
The Belfast Hills have numerous small streams which become larger wooded rivers and waterfalls, finally feeding urban rivers down to the River Lagan and Belfast Lough, or west through the countryside to Lough Neagh.
Groundwater sources which bubble up as springs, have been used by people and businesses in the hills for centuries. Many of these rivers were in poor condition however, suffering from pollution, the presence of invasive species and culverting. Their presence was often undervalued.
This project aimed to reconnect people with their local rivers, helping them look after and value these resources. It also aimed to help people see the connections between their local rivers flowing from sources and springs in the Belfast Hills, right down to where these rivers finally end. Each year throughout the scheme, a different river was selected for focusing awareness. The local communities were consulted on how they relate to their river and what activities they would like to be involved in. Throughout the scheme, we undertook projects around the Collin River, the Ballymartin River and the Ballymurphy River. This involved ‘Salmon/Trout in the Classroom’ with local schools, talks and reminiscences with local community groups, big river clean ups, bird walks, a fantastic river festival and duck derbies.
Consultants were hired to interview 20 people who lived, worked or enjoyed using the Belfast Hills in days gone by. The stories collected have been organised into themes and made available to listen to online, keeping these stories alive for future generations to enjoy, and get an insight into life in the Hills in a past era.
A book on oral history relating to Cave Hill had already been launched by Ben Simon in November 2010 , while in 2011 an oral history relating to Divis and Black Mountain was published by the National Trust. These publications showed keen interest in collecting stories and memories. There were obvious gaps in coverage with other parts of the hills untouched which led to the oral history project in 2014.
A number of art works were already present in the Belfast Hills, mostly mosaics and carved wooden benches in keeping with the natural settings. Through this project we facilitated the opportunity to introduce new, more innovative and ambitious artwork that will help interpret elements of the Belfast Hills.
Five different art pieces were planned with designs by local communities through workshop sessions and local artists. The art works reflected different elements of the Belfast Hills landscape and the sense of place that the groups involved in them have for their local areas.
- Local school children in North Belfast forged a set of seats which were placed at a spectacular viewpoint on Cave Hill. This cross community art project involved the children from the conception of the design right through to bronze casting of the artwork.
- The Hannahstown community tackled the issue of social isolation, which can arise in spread-out rural communities, by coming together once a week to make a beautiful quilt. The quilt depicts the built and natural heritage as well as local folk lore of the townland of Hannahstown and can be viewed in Hannhastown Community Centre.
- The local youth group in Carnmoney made a circular seat which illustrated the area’s rich history. This practical piece of art allows the public to enjoy a rest whilst taking in the surroundings, including a pond frequented by moor hens, coots, mallards and a resident grey heron.
- The Ligoniel Village Linen Project involved a local primary school, youth group, community group and history group to produce a beautiful sculpture which reflected the linen heritage of the area as well as the natural heritage. The sculpture stands 4m tall and casts a beautiful shadow when the sun shines.
- The Half Moon Lake in West Belfast was the focus for the final art piece of the project. Local school children were involved in the design of the floor mosaic which welcomes visitors at the entrance of the Half Moon Lake. The children learned a lot about the local wildlife which inspired their designs.
People out and about in the Belfast Hills were surveyed at various times from 2009 to 2012 and asked about the sites they used, their opinions of them and if they thought any improvements could be made. The most common improvement asked for was signage. This signage consisted of interpretative panels providing information about aspects of the site, and directional signage showing people where to go. To provide a coherent look and feel for signage in the Belfast Hills area, a Belfast Hills brand was developed and adopted by all landowning partners in the Belfast Hills. On this basis new site welcome signage was developed.
The Belfast Hills produced and distributed about 60,000 basic walking map and guide leaflets which describe how to get to the major public sites in the Belfast Hills, these leaflets are still available today. A constant request however was for a proper OS map of the Belfast Hills, which people can use to get to a site and orientate themselves once they enter it. This OS map was produced through the Landscape Partnership Scheme and is still available to purchase.
To purchase your copy please click here or these retailers also sell the map: Visit Belfast, The Divis Coffee Barn, Ligoniel Improvement Association.
Innovative interpretation using smart phone technology was also developed and can be used to educate people about sites without the need to clutter these natural and unspoiled areas with numerous signs. A unique Belfast Hills App was produced to enable users to learn more about the Belfast Hills.
A heritage exhibition was created and displayed on a regular basis in local libraries, community centres and council offices. The heritage exhibition is still being displayed post-Landscape Partnership Scheme, so if you manage a public space and are interested in displaying this exhibition please get in touch.
A community questionnaire was sent to over 500 different groups in the council areas of Belfast, Lisburn, Antrim and Newtownabbey where people’s interest in taking part in various projects and providing suggestions about sites in the hills that are important to them was tested. Meetings with individual groups as well as an open community meeting were also held to get input on community priorities.
Many groups were interested in local history and taking part in projects relating to such. There were a number of suggestions of sites to be restored or interpreted. These included recognition of those who died in airplane crashes on Carnmoney Hill during World War II, various information panels, a townlands patchwork quilt, work on the Half Moon Lake site and a seat with heritage features on Cave Hill designed by Cave Hill Conservation Campaign.
These suggestions formed the basis of projects which we undertook through the Landscape Partnership Scheme.
Development was, and still is, an issue of great relevance to community groups, with applications for large housing estates, an incinerator, wind turbines and other plans often being submitted within the wider Belfast Hills area. During the Landscape Partnership Scheme, our outreach officer aimed to empower the communities themselves to respond. This was important to improve the standards and expectations of plans, so protecting the hills against inappropriate development.