The Simon Community thrift store in North Belfast has been there a long time. The majority of the…read morecommunity would give their unwanted things to this shop so its usually packed with clutter and black bags waiting to be sorted. It mainly deals in 2nd hand clothes but there are a number of books and electronics on offer as well. Its run by volunteers, mostly old women from the community who scold you for messing up their nicely presents racks of clothes. Everything here is so insanely cheap its a mystery how they make enough money to stay open, nevermind contribute to charity. It's always good to have a look around, but seeing as they'll take anything, a lot of the stuff looks like it was destined for the bin years before it ever made it to the shop.

I am a big big fan of charity shopping. In fact, I've just taken a quick inventory of my outfit and…read morerealised that everything I'm wearing has been picked up in a Belfast charity shop at one time. Except my underwear and socks, of course. I'm cheap, but not that cheap. Yet. The Simon Community shop on the Antrim Road is somewhere I've been loads of times, as I used to work right next door and call in most lunch breaks in search of another pair of jeans or boots. It's got the problem that most very small charity shops do, unlike the bigger ones on eg Botanic Avenue, that there isn't usually a massive lot of stuff to pick from and more often than not I'd leave empty-handed. Boo. But on the upside, everything is very cheap and, while not getting anything particularly stupendous, I did pick up a few bargains in my time. Yay. I used to work for the Simon Community as well, and can vouch for the fact that they're jolly good chaps, with most of the staff working their bits off to help the high numbers of homeless people in this part of the city. Call in next time you're passing, even if it's just to buy a few (insanely cheap) old magazines.

PIPS offers a valuable service to the people of North Belfast and beyond. This is a service that…read morefor a lot of families that they hope they never need to use, but sometimes it's necessary. They offer a range of counselling services and support to young people who might be suffering depression or going through a rough patch in life. PIPS became established due to the shocking amount of suicides that occurs in the North Belfast community and one of it's main roles is to support the families that are going through a hard time as a result of suicide. They work tirelessly and are always available for anyone who's in need. Their door is always open.

Pips is a suicide and self harm prevention agency that offer a unique walk in service where the…read morecare team see you straight away without having to wait weeks on an appointment. It can provide immediate help and support for you or a loved one who is feeling suicidal or in need of support. The services pips provide is befriending or counselling plus it has a pips family group which meets up once a week, this group is made up of people from all over who have lost loved ones through suicide. Alot of people get emotional support from pips and it has saved countless lives all over northern Ireland. Pips aim is to raise awareness of suicide, how it can be prevented, and to break down the stigma attached to it.

Bryson Charitable group is a really excellent organisation and it deserves the praise and attention…read moreof all Northern Irish yelpers! The activities of Bryson can be split into two main areas: care services and recycling services. From programmes for children and youth to services for the elderly, Bryson House provides the highest standards of care to those who need it most. I actually volunteered for a while with Bryson in the People, a volunteer befriending scheme matching adults with learning difficulties with individuals from the wider community on a one-to-one basis. In addition to our well-known Care Services, they have undertaken created a number of environmental projects including Recycling Services, an Energy Efficiency Advice Centre and a range of education programmes to help young people understand their relationship to the environment. From my experience the people of Bryson are passionate about their jobs and the people and communities they help in. If you have any desire to volunteer, or perhaps want to recycle more effectively, look no further than Bryson!

Love this place…read more You need to have membership to use the scrap store that has left overs from factories etc. They have weird things that are awesome. From card,lids,chairs,car seats,paint etc. Although anyone can come in and buy stuff in the art store. They also run courses and workshops in their facility upstairs. Staff are nice.

Play Resource is amazing. If you work with any age group, craft, art, gardening, play , anything ,…read moreyou will find stuff to work with. The staff are lovely , friendly and helpful. The courses are fabulous and give you good ideas to make and create, and the creative pathway funding opportunity is a good way to give groups a helping hand to do cool projects. Get a membership and go there its well worth it. Also the shop is great. Reasonable prices, good selection and the best bit, there is always stuff made that you can see and take inspiration from. :)

Shalom care is a charity that offers a great deal of services to the people of Belfast. I've never…read moreneeded to avail of any of them. But I have been to their thrift store which is in the same facility. This place is deceptively big, it stretches the whole way to the back of the building. Mainly it stocks clothes, but there are also some pieces of furniture as well as other bits of bric'o'brac. These places are always good to go hunting for a bargain and you'll be surprised at what you can find. I didn't find anything in here, but that doesn't mean there won't be something awesome next week, so I'll be back.

"ArtsEkta (Ekta means bonding/uniting in the Indian language) is a multi-award winning arts and…read morecultural organisation that works to develop intercultural relationships at the heart of the community and is home to the Belfast Mela. We are dedicated to strengthening and deepening relationships between different cultures and communities through a series of exciting and inspiring cultural based programmes." A brave mission statement proudly displayed on Arts Ekta's website, but without doubt, this non-profit organisation is superb at strengthening community relationships throughout Belfast. Belfast Mela is a fantastically fun family day out which has been running annually in Botanic Gardens for the last few years. I always enjoy visiting the Mela but it can be extremely busy so it's best to arrive early in the day and pre-order entrance tickets. There's music, dance, food, performance and entertainment by local Chinese, Indian, African and Eastern European communities. You'll even seen a bit of Irish dancing and The Armagh Rhymers have made appearances at the Mela as well! More recently I attended a live, free, outdoor event called Nine Nights (October 2015) as part of Belfast International Arts Festival. Arts Ekta put on a bedazzling show, which was a combination of theatre, dance, music and fireworks. This told the tale of an epic battle spanning nine days and nights between an evil demon and the Indian Goddess Durga. Various community groups in Belfast worked together to create costumes, arts and crafts for and participated in the Nine Nights performance. Credit is due to Arts Ekta and outdoor events company Walk The Plank for creating one of the best things I've ever seen happen at Belfast City Hall. The lighting, pyrotechnics and shadow projections were breathtaking. Keep an eye on their website for the next Arts Ekta extravaganza: http://www.artsekta.org.uk

ArtsEkta is the number one charity organisation in Northern Ireland which promotes ethnic arts. It…read morecelebrates a number of cultures and diversity. Something we really need in Northern Ireland! The are responsible for the Belfast Mela which is an annual festival celebrating culture and diversity in Belfast (see review) it's held this year on 28th August, you should visit if you get a chance it'll be well worth it! Their aim is to promote diversity through arts and culture and offer a number of services for organizations who are interested in their facilities. These include; Outreach Programme, Arts Programmes & Workshops (Dance, Drama, Music & Visual Arts), Events & Festivals, Support for Artistic Development, Volunteering oppourtunities to members of public and work placements and Corporate Hospitality. They represent a number of cultures including; Indian / Sri-Lankan, Chinese, Polish, Lithuanian, Mexican, Danish, Islamic, Irish, Ulster Scots, Argentinean, Japanese and Columbian. Their motto is; "We are champions of good inter-cultural arts practice"

I like The Rainbow Project. I've had mates and social work clients go here for advice and they've…read morealways given very good feedback of the range of services and helpfulness of staff. It focuses on gay and bisexual men only, which is a bit of a pity as it has a much higher profile than the lesbian line Cara-Friend. But clearly there's a reason for keeping Rainbow male only, so I'll shut up now. These guys are the ones I called when Iris Robinson made her ill-advised comments about gay people a couple of years ago. They referred me to their press officer David, based in the Derry office, who'd had a hectic morning with pretty much every journalist in the country, and beyond, ringing for a quote. He was having a quick smoke but took the time to speak to me anyway, even though he could hardly speak for laughing. Bless. Rainbow also have a big part to play in organising the annual Belfast Pride week and festival, a cracker day and worth turning up to no matter what your age, gender or orientation. From only 25 people attending the first year to over 10,000 this year, this is testamount to the great work the lads at Rainbow do. An essential and professional service that gets an easy five stars.

The Rainbow project is the leading charity for gay / bisexual men in Northern Ireland. They have…read moretwo offices, one in Belfast and one in Stroke City (London/Derry for those not in the know) The Project was established in 1994 by volunteers concerned about the gay male population and HIV. In light of this they began offering information on HIV/AIDS and STI's as well as handing out safe sex methods at gay venues and LGBT events. The charity offers counselling as well as providing advocacy support for those who have been discriminated against or been verbally, physically, and/or sexually assaulted because of their sexual orientation. They have a number of objectives in their organisation such as; providing dedicated one-to-one support, providing safe spaces for gay and bisexual men to meet, providing specialised health promotion services, carrying out social research into health issues as well as research into social policy development and last but not least promoting good relations between both the gay and straight communities. TRP is (amongst others) funded by HSPSS, HSC, PSNI, Belfast City Council, Children in Need, Comic Relief and the Housing Executive.