Concern after needles found on Springfield Road

RADIUS Housing are to meet with the PSNI later this week after residents found needles and drug paraphernalia within the vicinity of Blackstaff Mews, off the Springfield Road. One resident who did not wish to be named told the Andersonstown News that drug dealing is becoming an “recurring problem” within the area. “There are kids living about here and I dread to think of what would have happened if they had found those needles,” the resident said. “We have also had a big increase in the level of drug dealing in the area. They are not even being discreet about it and are openly dealing in the street.” A spokesperson for Radius Housing said: “At Radius Housing we are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and ensuring that communities are safe. Our public spaces should be free of illegal activity such as drug use, and any such activity should be reported to the PSNI. “We are meeting with the PSNI and other local groups this week to raise concerns, and we will continue to keep tenants updated.” Sinn Féin's Cllr Claire Canavan has expressed deep concern at the discovery of the needles. “Such items are extremely dangerous, especially to younger children who may not be aware of what they have found,” she said.

OVER THE WIRE PODCAST: Murder at Milltown – a community responds

Market residents welcome 94 new homes for Gasworks site

THE Market Development Association have welcomed the granting of planning permission for 94 new family homes at the Gasworks by Belfast City Council’s Planning Committee on Monday evening.  

Bradshaw condemns fascist stickers on Woodstock Road

SOUTH Belfast Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw has said that it is disgraceful that racist stickers attached to street lighting columns on the Woodstock Road will not be removed.

Minister Hargey calls on PSNI to act over Ormeau flags

COMMUNITIES Minister and South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey has called on the PSNI to act over the erecting of flags on the Ormeau Road and Sunnyside Street in South Belfast.  

Councillor McCabe keen to hear the word on the street

SINN Féin Councillor Áine McCabe is set to hit the streets to listen to the concerns of local residents with a series of on-street clinics this July

Victory for relatives as HET findings on McGurk's atrocity are overturned

A High Court judge has ordered that a report by the PSNI’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET) into the McGurk's Bar atrocity be quashed in its entirety. The ruling by Mr Justice Humphreys found that claims within the report that there was no bias in the original RUC investigation were irrational. 15 people were murdered and many more were injured when the UVF detonated a bomb in the North Queen Street bar on December 4, 1971, which caused the building to collapse. In 2011, the Police Ombudsman identified investigative bias in how the RUC had initially conducted their investigation into the attack. But in 20 the now defunct HET found that there was no bias on the part of the RUC investigators. Brigid Irvine, whose mother Kathleen was among those killed in the attack, challenged the HET’s findings. The court heard in 2015 that the PSNI were no longer disputing the findings of the Ombudsman, but Ms Irvine’s legal team pressed on, determined to see the HET ruling quashed in law. Mr Justice Humphreys said the HET conclusions were “wholly ill-founded, unsustainable and illogical”. He went on: “Having carefully considered the competing positions, and recognising that there is much in the HET report which is uncontroversial, I have nonetheless concluded that the proportionate and efficacious remedy is for the court to quash the HET report in its entirety."

Workforce opens job opportunities for our young people

COUNCILLOR Claire Canavan has praised the commitment and enthusiasm of community organisations such as Workforce Training Services and said that they are making a real difference in the lives of local people getting the skills to enter industry.

Protest over British government attempts to shut down truth

FAMILIES of those murdered by British state forces have held a rally outside the NIO’s Erskine House office on Chichester Street on Tuesday, a day after the ‘Bill of Shame’ reached the second reading stage in the House of Commons. The families were joined by political representatives for Sinn Féin, the SDLP and People Before Profit, as they called on Boris Johnson to scrap the proposals. Speaking at the rally, Sinn Féin Cllr Ryan Murphy, whose grandfather Terry McCafferty was murdered by the UDA in 1974 alongside his colleague James McCloskey after they were singled out from their Protestant workmates as they played cards over lunch, said that many of those gathered shared similar experiences. “With all that hurt and pain, there is also a desire and drive that we won’t let things go. We will keep going in their memory,” he said. “My family has campaigned along with others in the pursuit of truth and justice. Again, like many people here today we have never found out who was responsible for killing our loved one.  “Yet, 30 odd years after his death we found out that the guns used in his murder were taken from a UDR Barracks in 1972. These are the uncomfortable facts that the British government don’t want to emerge. “In an attempt to cover up their dirty war, access to the basic legal process is what the British Government are trying to deny from each and every one of us. “As families we have a right to that basic legal process. As families we have a right to an investigation. As families we have a right to truth. As families we have a right that our loved ones will not be forgotten and will be remembered.”

Starter packs to set up your new home

CHOICE Housing has partnered with local charity Homeless Connect to provide people moving from homelessness into a new tenancy with much-needed support as they begin their tenancy journey. The ‘Getting Started Boxes,’ which includes a range of essential items will help new eligible tenants set up their new home.

WATCH: Flying high as Belfast International Airport back Best of the West

BELFAST International Airport are onboard as one of our business partners for the 2022 Best of The West awards. 

St Michael's Nursery launch new outdoor play area

ST MICHAEL’S Nursery School have officially launched their new outdoor area with a celebration for their pupils including a visit from Spider-Man, Elsa from Frozen and a spectacular dinosaur show. The new area comes after some nine years of investment in the nursery school which has been delivered in three phases. Speaking to the Andersonstown News, St Michael’s Nursery School Principal Claire McAllister said that she is delighted to have been able to work with funders to deliver the project. “As we are coming out of the recovery from the pandemic, being outside is the best place for children,” she said. “We are Forest School-accredited also and are very into using the natural environment around us. It is not just about bringing the classroom outside to play, it is about using the natural space and natural environment to let the children lead the direction of play. “We find that because we have such a big space, being outside leads to so much problem solving, creativity and collaboration. We have to be vigilant as to where we go next in terms of providing those resources.” Claire said that the new space is great for boys. “Boys by their nature are quite often more energetic so this space is great for them.” The projects were funded to the tune of £35,000, with two £10,000 Awards For All grants alongside £15,000 of funding from the Department for Communities. “It has taken eight or nine years to deliver the three phases of development here,” Claire added. “The first stage was to introduce the Trim Trail, which includes the climbing apparatus, balance beams, the A-frame and the playhouse. Phase two included the development of an eco-centre including a pond, indigenous planting, pollinators for the wildlife, over 40 bat and bird boxes around the site which have cameras installed so that the children can see inside them. “We also have a lure call to get the birds into the boxes with the cameras. In addition to that we also rescue hedgehogs which we release on to the site and we run programmes for our parents including making bird boxes and going on  bat walks. “The funding from the Department for Communities allowed us to install a new stage area, the outdoor classroom to the front, clearing the side of the school and securing the front of the site to ensure that it is as safe for the children as possible. “We have a huge site here and we are trying our best to make use of it all.”

Glenowen Court wins Best Care Home in the North

GLENOWEN Court has been named as the Care Home of the Year at the Health and Social Care Awards.

Changing Belfast on show as Pakistan government brings pop-up consular services to Springfield Road

THE consulate of Pakistan and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) team visited the Belfast Multicultural Association on the Springfield Road last week.

Caterpillar will be 'a powder keg' post-strike predicts striking worker

STRIKING Caterpillar workers at Springvale say they are becoming increasingly concerned that the US-headquartered manufacturer will sack staff when their industrial action ends and employees return to work. The workers, who have been staging a walkout since mid-April, are demanding better pay and working conditions alongside an end to compulsory overtime. Since the strike began, Caterpillar have brought in “untrained labour” from England to man the production lines.