When on a tight furnishing budget the big furniture warehouse HQ of East Belfast Mission is…read moresomewhere you could strike lucky, especially if you are looking for a desk or table and chairs. There is also a huge collection of old wardrobes, though when you're looking for second hand the good ones are few and far between and disappear quickly. If you want to get rid of any large furniture or electrical goods they will collect them from you for a modest fee, which I wouldn't begrudge as the charity does good community work in the city including hot cooked food and meals on wheels. It's useful to be able to drive right up and deposit your reject items, where somebody is always willing to give a hand. The store also takes books and other smaller household items. The charity now runs no fewer than nine shops in Belfast where I have found such things as an excellent office chair and books for very little.

Te is a community space used for various activities…read more Set up to be the beacon of the community. Has workshops,counselling.. I was in here for a meeting. Just using their meeting room for a charity I volunteer with. The place seems quite spacious with numerous rooms. There is also an upstairs. It's located near Yorkgate shopping centre. It's is inside some terrace houses that where converted.

This place does so much and positively affects many lives. With the main aim of supporting people…read moreand enhancing lives. It is a charity that supports itself with the numerous social economy businesses. Catering Cafe Houses numerous charity offices Church Several social enterprise businesses Charity shops Youth programmes Homeless provision Counceling Community development programmes Education Event space...... The cafe serves homely food. It's cheap for what you get. The hot meals are great.

The skainos centre has definitely helped the newtownards road and local areas in a variety of ways…read moreincluding training and learning support programs for everyone, and the centre has a great cafe with mixed seating from booths, open area tables and chairs as well as sofas. Its great for food or just a coffee and chat. Its great to see rejuvenation projects that actually work.

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.

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!