WITH Belfast 2024 come some opportunities for communities to get involved. Wild Belfast has, as you might expect, an environmental remit and in a twist on the city's mural history it currently has a call-out to communities that would like a living wildlife mural with an environmental aspect to it. It doesn't mean you will get a tiger in your terrace, but how about nesting boxes or bug hotels?
As anyone who has got this work done before knows, sorting out permission to use walls for murals can be a hassle. Wild Belfast would like prospective participants to submit a photograph of the wall – email Wild Belfastif you'd like yours to be considered. The projects must be in the Belfast City Council area.
Other events Wild Belfast have coming up are a dawn chorus walk on Black Mountain, wild safaris and a 'bat chat' where you get to identify bats from their calls. They are also participating in the 'Global Bioblitz' as part of the city's Nature Challenge 2024 where you can meet the experts and help record wildlife across Belfast, competing with cities across the world to record the most species.
Wild Belfast highlighted recently that just one per cent of Belfast City Council's parks' budget was for biodiversity; indeed, the painting of railings at Ormeau Park is forecast to cost more than all the money being spent on biodiversity enhancement across all of the city's parks. Details of events and more can be found at www.wildbelfast.org
Hattrick/Hindsight Productions are currently casting for participants in the popular BBC2 Mastermind series. Do you know someone who has what it takes to sit in that famous and intimidating black chair? A diverse range of people will be selected but you need to be over 18. So how do you get on the show? Well, submit an application and then the casting team may get in touch to organise a Zoom audition with you. They will do a short general knowledge quiz and learn more about why you have chosen your specialist subject. The audition will take around 15 to 20 minutes. The deadline is Friday, May 10. email Mastermind at @hattrick.com
The Flats, a film about the New Lodge I mentioned in an earlier article, has won the DOX:Award at the CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen. For a documentary this is the highest accolade and if you get the chance to see it grab it.
Clarification: Pssquared's Waterworks Belfast 2024 won't have its main project in the Waterworks in North Belfast – it will actually be on the Lagan in August.
