A PHOTOGRAPHY exhibition is celebrating the lives and showcasing the talent of tenants living in an independent living scheme at Clifton House in North Belfast.
The scheme is run by Radius Housing and the exhibition is part of the 250th anniversary celebrations of Clifton House.
The photographs – a permanent exhibition – are displayed in the communal entrance area into the Radius Independent Living Unit at Clifton House.
The exhibition was formally launched by Tim McGarry, well known as ‘Da’ from Hole in the Wall Gang. Music groups and choirs entertained all those who attended throughout the afternoon.
Opened in 1774 by Belfast Charitable Society, the building was the original Poor House in Belfast until the 1880s. For the next 120 years it was a hospital and a nursing home.
Today, it still provides residential and sheltered housing for older people through Radius Housing, and from which the Society delivers its philanthropic work to address disadvantage.
The photographic exhibition engaged with current tenants of Clifton House, taking them on a journey of learning and discovery with artist and photographer Kelly Morris.
It combines photographs taken by tenants as well as some archive photos and maps, courtesy of National Museums NI and Belfast Charitable Society.
One Clifton House tenant said: “I have enjoyed this project so much that my family have bought me a camera so that I can continue to develop my interest in photography.
“The photos have changed the whole feel of the building to one which now feels much more welcoming and much more like home.”
“We were treated like royalty today – thank you for making me feel so special.”
