EastSide Urban Village Area

Project title: AuthentiCity Scheme
Community Partner: Eastside Partnership
Description: A voluntary ‘greeter’ scheme which will provide a genuine welcome for visitors to East Belfast by recruiting local residents ‘EastSiders’ who are passionate and knowledgeable about the area to volunteer and offer a unique insight into East Belfast beyond what they have read in their tourism brochures. One of three strategic cross-cutting tourism projects developed in the Eastside UV area.

Project title: Tales from our Living-room
Community Partner: East Belfast Mission
Description: The project involves a diverse group of 12 participants who are homeless or at risk of homelessness creating a performance installation on The Skainos Centre Roof Top Garden that explores, celebrates and brings to life the social history of East Belfast.

Project title: East Belfast Breakfast Kart
Community Partner: East Belfast Mission
Description: Involves a diverse group of 8 participants who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to provide a mobile breakfast kart which will provide free breakfast and health information at 10 locations in East Belfast. Participants will receive training and attend workshops in health and well-being-both physical and mental.

Project title: Strategic Approach to tackling Poverty in East Belfast
Community Partner: Eastside Partnership
Description: A new working group, made up of representatives from 13 organisations providing support services to combat poverty within the EastSide Urban Village Area, has emerged with the aim to establish a strategic approach to combat poverty in East Belfast.

Project title: Early Learning Project
Community Partner: Eastside Partnership
Description: To provide support to parents and children aged 0-4 in the UrbanVillages area. The project will complement and offer early intervention activities for these families; with activities designed to build confidence, establish new relationships to support future learning and raise parents’ aspirations for their children.

Project title: EastSide Urban Gallery
Community Partner: Eastside Partnership
Description: The project will contribute to the transformation of places and spaces in the Urban Village area through arts & creativity through (i) Installing a new mural art on identified sites at Tower Street and Pansy Street; (ii) Install new street art in various locations.

Project title: Living the Green Way
Community Partner: Connswater Community Greenway
Description: To support people who live and work in the EastSide Urban Village area to support more sustainable living and working practices.

Project title: Walkway Young Mums
Community Partner: Walkway Community Association
Description: Delivery of Young Mothers project for 20 young mums, to maintain the five hour weekly session and crèche facility for 26 children, for a total of 46 weeks. The project aims to create engaging and interactive experiences for the young mothers that will address key objectives of capacity building, building self-esteem, reducing isolation and enhancing employability, learning and training.

Project title: Peace Tourism
Community Partner: Charter NI
Description: The project seeks to put local culture, heritage and history at the forefront of the regeneration of East Belfast and the peace and reconciliation process by engaging local people and visitors to the area (from outside Belfast & NI) in the rich culture and history that exists within East Belfast. The project is designed to share and raise awareness of the East Belfast ‘Peace Story’. One of three strategic cross-cutting tourism projects developed in the Eastside UV area.

Project title: Urban Villages Initiative Arts and Creativity Partnership - Ballymac
Community Partner: Ballymac Friendship Trust
Description: A community art project building on the successes of the Urban Villages Arts & Creativity partnership which delivered Halloween events, Christmas Fayre & a drama production in 16/17. The project has 2 strands (1) community events - Halloween, Christmas and Spring (2) an accredited training programme in the creative industries field for 15 -25 year olds.

Project title: The East Belfast Augmented/Virtual Reality Story
Community Partner: East Belfast Enterprise
Description: The project will make use of Augmented/Virtual Reality to ensure that the stories of endeavour and achievement across a range of themes in East Belfast (from the launch of Titanic in 1912 to the birth of NI in 1921) are ready to be shared for the Centenary of NI (in 2021). The A/R story aims to deliver a project that engages the local community by sharing content using technology such as Apps, Augmented/ Virtual Reality and 360 degree video. One of three strategic cross-cutting tourism projects developed in the Eastside UV area.

Project title: Row on Row 2017
Community Partner: Round Tower Community Project
Description: Row On Row is a series of community commemorative events held around Armistice Day each year. The flagship event is a Poppy Cross installation in Pitt Park; this is complimented by talks; visits; publications; community Acts of Remembrance. 2017 will be the fourth year of this now annual initiative.

Project title: Active Bodies - Active Minds
Community Partner: East Belfast Community Development Agency (EBCDA):
Description: To increase physical activity and mental health awareness opportunities/participation amongst people in East Belfast.

Project title: Church Engagement
Community Partner: East Belfast Community Development Agency (EBCDA)
Description: The aim of this project is to engage constructively with all places of worship in the EastSide Urban Villages area to develop a shared programme celebrating the role played by churches in the community, as well as building relationships (i) between churches; (ii) between churches and the community; and (iii) churches and the Urban Villages Initiative.

Project title: St Patrick's Celebrations EastSide
Community Partner: Short Strand Community Centre
Description: The project will develop cultural awareness around St Patrick’s Day themes. The aim is to ensure that all sections of the community are involved in activities leading up to and on St Patrick’s Day. Events/activities will include workshops, young people’s cross-community football tournament, children’s park fun day, senior citizens tea dance, visit to Down Cathedral and St. Patrick’s grave and a float.

Project title: Men Together
Community Partner: East Belfast Community Development Agency (EBCDA)
Description: To continue on the work that has been completed in the previous year and work with men’s groups to develop them further. Aims to target at least 1 more new group so we will have at least 3 groups in total. Project will focus on developing the men’s group/s by completing best practice visits to other Men’s Sheds in NI and the RoI. A total of 100 men will have the opportunity to participate in the programme.

Project title: Fraser Pass Public Improvements
Community Partner: Ballymac Friendship Centre
Description: Public realm and physical enhancement works in the corridor that runs from the Newtownards Road along Fraser Pass connecting with Titanic Halt.

Project title: Pocket Park, Eastside Visitors Centre
Community Partner: Eastside Partnership
Description: This project, which is nearing completion, has utilised innovative design and materials including shipping containers to create a unique contemporary urban park that links with the existing provision at the EastSide Visitor Centre. The project promotes health and wellbeing with Sustrans establishing an active travel hub in one of the shipping containers to encourage active travel and the wider use of the surrounding greenway infrastructure. The project also will provide a cycle café for people to stop and enjoy when passing through this key site.

Project title: Outdoor Classroom - Short Strand Community Centre
Community Partner: Short Strand Community Centre
Description: The completed project involved transforming an outdoor area into a new classroom area that includes roofing, heating and lighting.

Project title: Domestic frontages on lower Newtownards road
Delivery Partner: Department for Community
Description: The completed project provided physical improvement for a number of properties on the road frontage adjacent to Fraser Pass and St Martin’s Church. These properties are located in what was a flashpoint for interface violence over the years and had all of their windows covered with metals mesh screens. This project saw the removal of these screens and replacement of existing glazing units with toughened glass.

Project title: EastSide Interpretive Signage
Community Partner: EastSide Partnership
Description: The completed project saw the installation of a number of interpretative signs throughout the EastSide Urban Villages area. The signs provide useful way-marks and sources of general information for those residing and visiting the area and are an essential part of the overall approach to improving the built fabric for the purposes of tourism.