A new TV series is set to showcase an unfamiliar and vibrant Belfast, revealing secret, special wild corners of the city that are bursting with diversity and the untold stories of its people and wildlife.
The Chronicles of Belfast, which hits our screens this Monday night, will offer new perspectives on a city that people may think they know well - but do they really?
The documentary series explores the wilder side of life in Belfast and celebrates the spots that form the ‘lungs of this busy city’ where people and wildlife can breathe and thrive.
Read more: BBC NI series 'The Chronicles of Belfast' to explore the landscape of the city
Narrated by acclaimed Northern Irish actor Colin Morgan, the four-part show will look at the people who work all year round with nature, protecting and monitoring the wildlife that share their city. It's the fifth instalment in the critically acclaimed 'Chronicles' series by Waddell Media, which has included 'The Chronicles of Mourne' 'The Chronicles of Erne', 'Chronicles of the Glens' and 'The Chronicles of Strangford'.
Beautifully shot using a variety of techniques including drones and time-lapse photography, it brings familiar landscapes and secret corners of the city to life in a spectacular fashion. The landscape and weather are as much a part of the programme as the people who feature and their relationship with nature that exists alongside the urban environment.
The series also highlights the importance placed on sustainability and wildlife conservation and the work that goes into protecting and promoting our diverse natural corners for future generations.
Episode one focuses on Spring, a season when the city’s hills, woods and rivers begin to emerge from Winter and come to life. The programme begins with local conservation volunteer Aaron, as he goes up Black Mountain. While carrying out an early morning wildlife survey he hears a cuckoo, the first time he has heard one on the mountain - a sure sign that Spring has arrived.
At Minnowburn allotments, harpist Eileen shares her past experiences of domestic violence and on finding peace in the natural space and quiet that the allotments afford. They also provide a base for the Belfast Beekeepers Association, and we see a bee emerge to begin its life.
We then meet Tofik, who was born in Eritrea but he fled Ethiopia five years ago and is now living in Belfast while he applies for refugee status. It’s his first Spring here and after five years on the road, he is hoping Belfast can become his new home.
The programme then travels to St James’ Community Farm. The farm provides a real focus to the community, young and old, its animals oblivious to the traffic roaring past on the Westlink. In the harbour, at RSPB NI’s nature reserve, warden Maureen is building a temporary artificial island for nesting terns.
Also featured in the series is Ronald Surgenor, a wildlife photographer, who is employed as a conservationist on Belfast hills and reserves.
Ronald, 49, is also one of the country’s only qualified endangered fish taggers, meaning he is out every month on the waters around Belfast, tracking specimens that enter our waters such as shark or skate.
His day job entails maintaining Belfast’s Slievenacloy reserve, enabling flora and fauna to thrive. However, all his spare time is spent setting up cameras and hanging out in hides to photograph and chart what secret beasties are coming out at night, whether it’s urban bats, badgers, hares, hedgehogs or foxes.
Ronald says: "People don’t realise what they have on their doorstep. Having worked on the River Lagan for 18 years before moving to work with Ulster Wildlife, I was amazed by the amount of wildlife in the city centre that people were just oblivious to.
"I was photographing kingfishers and seeing otters and seals but people hadn't a clue that they were there. Hopefully this series will help bolster that and make people a bit more protective of what we have in terms of green spaces."
In episode one, reserves officer Ronald is up in the hills at Slievenacloy, preparing for the arrival of cattle. The programme ends with Ronald hoping to get a photograph of badgers in bluebells, a picture which has taken years of hard work to capture.
Elsewhere Belfast’s parks were built in the 19th century as a natural sanctuary for workers in the city. Ex-millworker Rene Boyd, 62, who is living with a brain injury, uses specially adapted bikes to cycle and explore Victoria Park and other nearby areas once a week.
For Rene, who was born and bred off the Newtownards Road in East Belfast, just next to CS Lewis Square, childhood memories are brought to life and for that one hour a week, she feels free again.
Mum-of-two Rene said: "Every time I go through the park the childhood memories just come flooding back. This place was our life and we did everything in Victoria Park. If our parents were looking for us, they knew we'd be over here. We were always safe enough and would take paddle boats out to the wee island."
Having suffered a stroke which left her with limited mobility and partial sight, these days Rene is able to cycle around the park with the help of Pedal Power, a group supporting people in Belfast with acquired brain injuries to get out and about through cycling.
One of the hardest aspects of it all was that Rene's granddaughter, Faye, was just a few months old when she took ill and so she never really got to see her.
"On one of the days in the Royal Victoria Hospital after the stroke, I woke up and couldn't see a thing," she recalled.
"The first thing that came into my head was 'I'll not be able to see my kids or my granddaughter'. I only have peripheral vision so while I remember all the flowers and trees in the park, now I can't really see them."
The Chronicles of Belfast starts on Monday 30 January at 8pm on BBC One NI and all four episodes will also be available on BBC iPlayer from 30 January.
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