Children's Festival extravaganza

This weekend the Waterworks is going to be totally and utterly transformed and I for one can't wait.
The Children's Festival (http://www.belfastchildrensfestival.com) is coming to our side of town for the first time in its history from what I understand and it's going to be brilliant.
All the events take place this Saturday (May 31) and Sunday (June 1) and with open air cinemas on the go, a viking boat, story tellers, and windchimes workshops this children's festival is going to be fabulous.
Tons of credit for promoting this side of town has to go North Belfast community stalwarts Claire Kelly from the Festival office and Katrina Newell from New Lodge Arts. Even more praise must rest with organisers, Young At Art who decided this part of the city deserves to be included in fun events, just as much as the city centre, South Belfast and Cathedral Quarter zones.
So a big good luck to all the organisers, performers and punters, I've no doubt the two days will fly in and the whole event will be a success!

Sticks and stones will hurt me

Another leisurely stroll through the Wats today and because I'm really keen to see if there's any baby swans freshly hatched, my dander takes me up the park along the Cliftonville/Westland path. This afternoon there was kids, and I mean kids, at their lark.
I didn't walk on by. I stopped and spoke to one kid who threw a rock, narrowly missing me. Now I'm hoping he didn't mean for it to hit me, but when I said to this wee boy what's your game, he pointed to a group of kids a few metres away and said "I'm throwing rocks at the Prods". (He was only nine or ten for crying out loud - where is he learning this stuff more to the point!!!!)
A group of kids were indeed knocking about the trees that the legendary green giant David Bellamy helped to plant last year, but they didn't seem to doing anything.
However looking around it was clear to see some sort of clash had kicked off before I had arrived, the path was strewn with rocks and bits of brick. In the end I told this lad to wise up and walked on.
I noticed a fair rake of tourists about the park today. I really hope none of them got caught in the cross fire.

Any sign of cygnet life?

Maybe it's just me, but I'm getting kinda worried about the swan whose nest was targeted earlier this month...the mother swan was off the nest entirely last Friday and ever since then it seems that another swan has taken up the lonely post of keeping the eggs, (think there's four there), warm. The mother swan is still keeping a close eye on things though, she's hovering about in the lily weed which is taking over the water these days.
Anyways if anyone can enlighten me that this is normal bird fashion, drop me a line!

CCTVS and fence at Westland

This week PSNI Chief Inspector Simon Ball told the North Belfast News that the answer to stopping violent behaviour in the Waterworks will come only if CCTV cameras are installed and more fences are built. 

To quote him verbatim, "it is hoped that by restricting unauthorised access to the park through structural changes and installation of CCTV camera these problems may be reduced in the future".

If you cut through the double-dutch, I am assuming Simon Ball means building a fence at the rear of homes at Westland here. 

It's the only part of the park which isn't secure and where youths, intent on causing mayhem, can enter and exit at will.

I would imagine this top cop won't say this publicly, but privately I'm hearing that PSNI officers have told community bigwigs and residents that this is the only answer.

However the idea of a fence is meeting fierce resistance from Westland residents, and I can empathise. 

A string of houses in the estate have an unparalleled view of the park. It must be absolutely fantastic to open the curtains and have such a fabulous vista, and to have this obscured would cause anyone consternation. 

However there must be some level of compromise about this fence. 

Every other part of the park is fenced in, except this section. Surely the fact that youths are getting into the park and stoning cars, houses and people and making a clean getaway takes precedence? 

Young people are regularly clashing in this park, both during the day and at night. 

They muscle up to eachother at the bridge close to Westland Fire Station and hurl abuse or rocks at eachother. 

Then when the park closes and its dark, Catholic youths gather along the Cavehill Road and Protestant youths gather in the Waterworks to antagonise eachother all over again. Homes and families get caught in the cross fire and residents on both sides are fed up to the back teeth with it.

I have attended meetings with residents from both Westland and Cavehill Road and it emerged that children from the area aren't only to blame.  Youngsters are being bussed in from all parts of the city - Ballysillan, Tigers Bay, New Lodge and Ardoyne.  The Waterworks is where you get the craic nowadays don't you know?

On a more serious note, there has to be a meeting of minds here about this trouble. The fence and camera issues need further exploration and dialogue between the two sides there's no doubt, but what I believe everyone wants, is to try and prevent the park from becoming an all-out flashpoint. 

Another interface in North Belfast, and in a park too, how very depressing.

Park Rangers get Award

A very well done to our park rangers in North Belfast who picked up an award recently from the Making A Difference judges.

These guys work in testing and challenging circumstances and the award, which recognises all their hard work in our parks, is richly deserved. 

Pictured are Paul O'Neil, David Harkley, Krzysztof Wolynski, Andy Ross and Stephen Wells

Hatchets and 8 year olds

It turns out that residents complaining about anti-social behaviour in the Waterworks have every right to be scared witless. This week Belfast City Council revealed that a mallet, a metal bar and a a hatchet had been snatched from youths (as young as 8 years old I might add!!!!) in the park as well as from Alexandra down the road...worrying times indeed.

Swan egg fiasco was man-made

Folks this is just a clarification on an earlier post about a swan's egg being taken from her nest...I have just been informed that no animal had any part to play in this particular incident.

The fact that a human being was responsible was taking the egg, allegedly home for the 'enjoyment' of his youngster is completely bonkers.

This reminds me of the character of Verucca Salt in Roal Dahl's classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who wanted everything under the moon and stars, including an Ooompa Loompa for herself, quicker than quick. I want it NOW! she screams in the movie if I remember correctly.

But anyways, moving on apparently this swan's eggs still haven't hatched so it remains to be seen if taking the egg away from the warmth of the nest will have an impact on its chances of survival in the hardy world of the Waterworks. Time will tell.

Unleash The Muzzles and Leads

This post concerns an attack on a swan's nest up in the upper pond, close to the Cliftonville Road entrance to the Waterworks.

I'm sure everyone's seen this swan sitting on her nest, incubating her eggs. She's been there for quite some time and it appears that she has borne quite a hard station because not only has this pen been attacked with footballs but most recently a dog.

An egg was taken from the nest by the animal but due to the help of park users, the council and Our Lady's Deanby Primary School the egg has since been returned to the nest. Success all round! Let's wait and see when they hatch!

But this good news story leads me onto another leading matter - keeping dogs on leads and muzzled if necessary.

Why is it dog owners see fit to let a dog they wouldn't let off a lead in their own street, go unfettered in the Waterworks? Do they believe people, children or wildlife in the park are any less important or vulnerable to attack?

Does the familiar line: "Agh, he'll not do you any harm" before the aforementioned animal rips into your leg, child or your own dog ring a bell?

For me it does.  Last year the North Belfast News (http://www.belfastmedia.com) carried the sad story of a batch of goslings in the Waterworks, who had their necks and heads ripped off by a pit-bull-type dog, who was off its lead.

And I'm sure there are many other horror stories. 

So what I'm saying is, let's all try and abide by park rules. They are there for a reason and to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and safe time in the park would you not agree? 

Or is that too much of a leading question?

Thuggery and animal cruelty in the Wats

Last Thursday walking around the Waterworks I decided I would begin a diary. 

There is so much going on in this park and the residential areas it borders, that I could fill a whole newspaper!

So it's no surprise to learn that over the course of the last seven days, there's been quite a bit going on.

My first entry unfortunately concerns an attack on our dedicated park staff.

Belfast City Council has confirmed that a ranger who was locking up gates last Thursday night was verbally and physically abused by a large group of people. They stoned his van and he had to leave the park as quickly as possible.

What a truly horrendous experience for this man who was just doing his job.

Meanwhile earlier that day some mindless yob decided to shoot a beautiful swan through the neck with a crossbow bolt.

A picture of the swan with the metal tube in its neck featured the very next day in the Irish News (http://www.irishnews.com).

Although hopes were high the swan would survive the USPCA has revealed the nature of the bird's internal injuries were just too severe and it died.

I wonder is the culprit proud of their handiwork because to all right-thinking people this represents animal cruelty at it's very worst.

Getting worked up about the Waterworks

Hello everyone and welcome to this blog which I've set up to chronicle the ups and downs of one of North Belfast's most widely used public parks - the Waterworks.

As Northies will know already, the park is a fabulous asset used by thousands of people every year.

In the winter and autumn months there isn't a bother. Spring and summer, now that's a different matter entirely and local residents and businesses dread it.

So with the sunny weather upon us, it's all kicking off again, and by that I mean drinkers, hooligans from both communities using the park at night to go mental and attacks/nuisance caused to homes.

I'm going to use this blog to record both positive and negative developments in the Waterworks and I'm hoping that park users will add their views on its everyday goings-on.

So that's what this blog is all about. My message to you - it's your park, get involved.