Belfast Hills Partnership

06/06/2026

Volunteer update! On Thursday the volunteers were in Glencairn Park in the woodland carrying out some balsam bashing.

Himalayan Balsam is a non native invasive species of plant that is prolific at spreading, often displacing our native plant species. It is particularly common in river valleys, with its explosive seed pods well adapted to spread and float downstream, destabilising river banks because of it's shallow roots.

Thankfully, because of the shallow roots the plants are easy to pull out. By pulling it out this stops the spread of the plant and with continued removal efforts (sometimes over the space of a few years) it should hopefully be eradicated completely.

We were also joined by a group of corporate volunteers from Henry Brothers who were very helpful and enthusiastic.

And because it is Volunteers' Week everyone was treated to some sandwiches, sweet treats and hot drinks as a way of thanking our volunteers for their continued hard work and dedication to our conservation efforts in the hills.

Thank you all, so much!

Our Volunteering Programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund Northern Ireland and the Carrier Bag Levy by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

05/06/2026

Today's Volunteers' Week spotlight is on our Conservation Volunteers! This gang meet every Monday and Thursday come rail, hail, sleet, snow or sunshine to head out and play their part for the Hills. No challenge is ever too big; whether it's planting trees on freezing winter days, crossing a river to retrieve a dumped trolley or clearing swathes of hard to reach invasive species their dedication is unwavering.

Thanks to everyone who gives up their time for the benefit of the Hills!

03/06/2026

Today's Volunteers' Week spotlight is on our Native Tree & Wildflower Nursery Volunteers! The gang meet up every Tuesday to make sure that our Tree Nursery remains in tip top condition.

Our Tree Nursery Volunteers are responsible for cultivating our supply of trees before they head out into the Hills - from collecting seeds in the autumn & winter months and nurturing them into saplings before putting them into beds until they are ready for the Hills! Not only that but they make sure the beds remain w**d free, using what they remove to help create our own compost! We also collect wildflower seeds which are sowed in pots before being transplanted to the Hills following invasive species removal.

Our Tree Nursery is a haven for wildlife tucked up inside the Work West Enterprise Agency industrial estate, all thanks to our wonderful Tree Nursery Volunteers. Thank you everyone!

01/06/2026

Today marks the start of Volunteers' Week! We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of our volunteers who dedicate themselves to helping out in the Hills. Whatever the weather you can find them out and about, week in week out, playing their part without complaint! No task is ever too big for this amazing crew and we would be at a loss without them.

Thank you everyone! 🌟

28/05/2026

While out in the Hills recently we noticed something close to where we were walking on the path. Luckily it caught our attention just in time to avoid being trampled! This is Ireland’s only native reptile: the viviparous lizard. Lizards often bask in sunlight to raise their body temperature enough to move. They can also derive body heat from warm surfaces, such as this tarmac path.

What you’ll perhaps find interesting about this particular lizard is that it has no tail. If feeling threatened lizards can shed their tails in the hopes of fooling predators into going after the tail while they make their escape. This is known as caudal autotomy.

Remember that lizards are a protected species, so please take care not to disturb them if you see any and be sure to keep dogs on a lead at all times.

If you see any wildlife while out and about in the Hills please submit your sightings here:
https://belfasthills.org/biodiversity-geology/record-biodiversity/

26/05/2026

Help shape the future of Glencairn Park

Do you use Glencairn Park? Have memories of local wildlife, ideas for improving the site, or thoughts on how habitats and species should be managed?

Join us tonight for the Journey to 30x30 Community Workshop and share your local knowledge to help inform a future habitat management plan for Glencairn Park.

Time: 6–7:30pm
Venue: St Andrews Church, Forthriver Road, Belfast BT13 3US

At the workshop, you’ll be able to:

-Share memories of local wildlife
-Map where species have been seen
-Help shape ideas for the site
-Sign up for future activities, events and volunteering opportunities

Your feedback will be combined with ecological survey information to help guide future improvements, environmental projects, volunteering and events at Glencairn Park.

To RSVP, email [email protected]
Find out more at belfasthills.org

Everyone welcome please share with anyone who knows or loves Glencairn Park.

25/05/2026

Take the lead & be a responsible dog owner!

It is vitally important that dogs be kept on leads when out in the Hills. This is not only respectful to other walkers, but also to the wildlife and livestock that call the hills home.

- Keeping your dog on a lead keeps it from getting lost or running into nearby traffic. It also protects your dog from exposure to diseases, such as neospora which can require lifelong medication to treat and in extreme cases or younger pups results in death.

- Knowing how to behave properly around livestock is vital to enjoyable walkies for both you and your pet. Young cattle are injured or killed by dogs running loose in the hills every year. Even if your dog is usually well behaved it may behave unpredictably if it is unfamiliar with livestock. Only release the dog if you feel threatened by livestock so both you and your dog can get to safety.

- While your dog might be the apple of your eye, not everyone loves dogs. Young children and babies in particular tend to be afraid of dogs, whether the dog is friendly or not. The Hills are for everyone to enjoy and everyone deserves respect so take the lead and please keep others in mind when you are out walking.

- Dogs can be incredibly harmful to wildlife even if your dog doesn't mean any ill harm. A dog may disturb a ground nest, chase after wildlife such as hares or even spread diseases through their waste so be sure your dog is kept on a lead where you can track their behaviour (& clean up after them! 💩)

22/05/2026

Lights, camera, volunteer update! 🎬

We are bringing you a volunteer update with a bit of a difference because this week we welcomed the BBC out to one of our sessions! Together with BHP volunteers, community groups and local residents from the area, we got stuck into a massive day long river clean at Forthriver. Thanks to the mammoth efforts of everyone we managed to remove large items such as fridges, tyres and trolleys that had been dumped into the river as well as collect countless bags of rubbish from surrounding areas.

The clean-up will feature in a new BBC documentary series presented by Stacey Dooley which focuses on communities tackling litter problems in their area. The BBC have said, ‘with Stacey’s encouragement they [the communities] fight back with a massive one-day blitz to help restore pride in their area and leave a legacy for the future’. Many hands make light work and we loved seeing the community come together and take positive action for the benefit of both local communities and wildlife. The removal of this rubbish will mean that the river will now be able to flow freely and we’re hoping to see it stay that way. Remember that Belfast City Council offer free bulky waste collection for larger items. You can find more information on their website:
https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/bins-recycling-environment/bins-boxes-collections/bulky-waste-collection

Finally, thanks so much to everyone who gave up their free time on the day to help out. We were delighted to work in partnership with Glencairn Community Project, Glencairn Neighbourhood Association, Glencairn Youth Club, Harmony PS and Forth River PS, Impact Training, Margo Rope Access, and Belfast National Trust. We can’t wait to see how the documentary turns out and will be sure to post updates about it when it airs.

If you are feeling inspired by this collective action and would like to do something positive for the environment why not sign up to become a volunteer? You can visit our website for more information:
https://belfasthills.org/get-involved/volunteer/

22/05/2026

One last minute space has become available for this tomorrow! https://belfasthills.org/events/wonderful-woodland-wander/

Bookings are now live for our Wonderful Woodland Wander.

Enjoy a guided woodland walk through the serene surroundings of The Woodland Trust Northern Ireland owned and managed site Carnmoney Hill. Judy, our Conservation Officer, will share years of experience and knowledge on the plants of the Belfast Hills including their folklore.

This event is FREE but spaces are limited so please visit our website:
https://belfasthills.org/events/wonderful-woodland-wander/