Funding To Secure New Belfast Home For Ulster Orchestra

A major restoration project for Townsend Street Church in Belfast has been secured after Ulster Orchestra secured funding from the Foyle Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund and other key organisations.

Over the next two years, the complex, comprising three buildings including Townsend Street Church, a former school and a Memorial Hall, which will together be renamed, Ulster Orchestra at Townsend, will undergo major works to reinstate deteriorated architectural features, bring its history to life and enable it to once again, play a vibrant role within the local community.

As well as providing a much-needed home for the Orchestra, the restoration will also create a rehearsal and event space, a music learning and community engagement hub, a dedicated recording studio, additional rehearsal rooms and spaces to rent. As part of the Foyle Foundation's partnership support, Townsend Street Church itself will be re-named The Foyle Foundation Hall at Townsend.

Auveen Sands, Ulster Orchestra Chief Executive said: "Thanks to the generous support of the Foyle Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Ulster Garden Villages, Dormant Accounts Fund NI and the continued support of the Department for Communities, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council, the Ulster Orchestra is delighted to have taken ownership of the Townsend Street Church complex and is proud to call it our new, permanent home. We want to create a flexible space that removes barriers to music for all, acknowledging both the heritage of Townsend Street but also that of the Ulster Orchestra, as one of the UK's premier orchestras for almost 60 years.

"Our key vision is to be a vital force in the cultural, social and educational life of Northern Ireland. We already work closely with many local communities through our learning and community education programme, but we want everyone to have access to our music and to deliver even more diverse and engaging activities. By having our own home, this is more achievable and an exciting opportunity to embed ourselves in the heart of the community.”

SDLP Calls For Urgent Action Following QUB Lough Neagh Research

The SDLP has called for urgent action following the recent finding from Queen's University Belfast on Lough Neagh.

It is understood that the research has revealed significant ecological and public health risks posed by blue-green algal blooms in the lough.

The party's Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs (AERA) Spokesperson, Patsy McGlone, expressed deep concern over the findings and emphasised the need for immediate and coordinated measures to address this pressing environmental issue.

Mid Ulster MLA Mr McGlone said: "The research from Queen's University Belfast should be a wake-up call for all of us. The ecological balance of Lough Neagh is at breaking point, and the potential health risks to our communities are far too significant to ignore. We must act now to protect this vital natural resource and ensure the safety and well-being of the community. Members of the public will be rightly concerned that the toxins in Lough Neagh represent a danger to public health and I have no doubt many people will be frustrated by the response from the Executive which has been too slow so far.

"It is of paramount importance that the protocols proposed in the Lough Neagh Action Plan are now implemented without delay. We need a multi-faceted approach that includes monitoring and early warning systems, public awareness campaigns, and a long-term strategy to reduce nutrient pollution, which is a primary driver of these algal blooms. I recently met with the Minister responsible, Andrew Muir MLA, in order to press for speedier action from his department. Immediate action to improve the water quality of the Lough must be taken. This is about public trust in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and people must be reassured that Minister Muir’s department will act as quickly and efficiently as possible to ensure lives are not put at risk. I will also be raising the concerns highlighted in this report with the Minister of Infrastructure.

"Protecting Lough Neagh is not just an environmental issue; it's about safeguarding our community's health, economy, and heritage, and I will continue to work constructively with the Minister to ensure that all elements of the Lough Neaghh Action Plan protocols are implemented in full. This is most visible symptom of the environmental challenge this generation faces, and it must be met."

Alliance Calls For Immediate Recall Of Assembly

The Alliance Party has called for the urgent recall of the Assembly following the targeted and racially-motivated criminal damage caused to business premises in Belfast on Saturday.

The party has submitted a recall petition and called on other parties to sign, to ensure the Assembly will be recalled to discuss a motion about the disorder and violence seen in the city.

Condemning the scenes, Alliance's Executive Office spokesperson Paula Bradshaw MLA, said: "What we saw in Belfast on Saturday was criminal damage carried out with a clear racial motivation. This wanton destruction is rejected by the people of the city, who stand with the victims against thuggery.

"Such attacks are the result of hate being stirred up on an ongoing basis. As a South Belfast MLA, those carrying out the violence did not represent our area.

"Our political leaders now have to act decisively. The First Minister and deputy First Minister need to reverse the de-prioritisation of good relations work, urgently bring forward the draft Race Relations Order, expedite the development of a renewed Racial Equality Strategy and to recognise the genuine sense of fear and dread now experienced by individuals and families who have made Belfast their home.

"We also need to see urgent and decisive action to bring those who committed such destruction to justice.

"South Belfast is a proudly diverse constituency and we are proud so many people of all backgrounds and from all corners of the globe have come hee. This diversity is welcome evidence of how we are leaving the dark days of the past behind. We are not going to let those with nothing to offer but hate and bile wreck the progress we have made.

"I would call on all MLAs to sign this recall petition and take the opportunity to speak with one clear voice on behalf of Belfast and everywhere else, saying if you attack one member of our community, regardless of creed or colour, you attack all members of our community."