The Shankill Mirror is a free local paper that stands out from the crowd with content that includes…read moreforthright commentary on both national and Northern Ireland affairs by the editor John McVicar. It is also guaranteed to provide comprehensive reportage of the North and West Belfast area's often turbulent news and politics, along with information on events and other items of interest. There are numerous pages of personal greetings for birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations and memorials with lots of pictures which is an interesting reflection of lifein the area even if you don't live there. It is a vibrant paper and in its own way an interesting read. Apparently there is a keen following, though I notice the Shankill Mirror seems to be produced only monthly these days, a reduction of its former output.

For a hyperlocal newspaper, this isn't a bad wee rag at all. It's been going for years, so the…read morepeople of the Shankill seem happy enough. To my knowledge, it's run out of a room in a local community centre, which gives you an idea of the type of operation it is i.e small. It's really what you'd expect a community paper to be: a few pages long at most and full of notices about birthdays and anniversaries. It's nice to see this type of newspaper still surviving despite the rise of the internet.

Michael Davitts or 'The Davitts' as it's more commonly known is not somewhere that I would go to…read moreregularly, mainly because I am not from the area and it's not handy to me. But on Sunday (JUL '16) I attended a function in the downstairs bar and the atmosphere was absolutely amazing. They also have an upstairs function area available to hire. There had been a GAA match earlier in the day so the bar was full of players enjoying a post match pint. Although it was busy it didn't feel cramped at all. There was a live band playing an acoustic set and there was sport being displayed on the multiple TV screens. Price wise The Davitts is cheap with a pint setting you back around £3.50 depending on what you go for (Coors, Harp, Heverlee & Guinness all on tap). A full bottle of Prossecco is only £10 which is a hit with the ladies. The staff are excellent providing ice buckets for wine and ensuring your wait at the bar is no longer than necessary. The one thing that stood out for me was the joyous atmosphere, it was welcoming and warm!

Great atmosphere and resonably priced. Live music is fantastic. Going next week again as it was…read morethat good.

I hope this place is still surrounded by barbed and razor wire because of the troubles and to save…read moremoney decided to keep it up. Otherwise its managers may be the most paranoid Leisure Centre managers in history (there's a sentence I never thought I'd write). Inside it is a little bit more up to date and the facilities seem excellent. Personally I've only used the 3g 5aside pitches based just outside the main building. These are fantastic and really reasonable to rent out for an hour. It's advisable to book in advance however, Linfield FC use these quite a bit and can take up a lot of time there.

If there was a choice of ZERO-star rating, I would give it. If you're looking to relax and to catch…read moreup with similarity minded people, then this new Leisure Centre is NOT for you. From a budget of over £20,000,000.00 of public money's, this new Centre of excellence is to be avoided by all whom can't afford the luxury of splashing out £12 a go, on TOP of your already stretched budgets. A membership to many facilities are often out of reach for too many family budgets but to add this additional fee on top of something that aids with healing and rehabilitation of the disabled, the elderly and the injured trying to get back to work, this new and improved facility has failed miserably. If you have a disability or are just carrying a persistent injury or are elderly and you find that a sauna really helps loosen up the joints, then this place is NOT for you. If all you need is a place to relax after the gym or a swim, then place is NOT for you. There is a catch that I found out when I visited this new and improved publicly funded Centre at the heart of Belfast. If you want a healing sauna or a unwinding steam, then this new and improved place will NOT do it for you. There is a catch to using the sauna or steam room, a hefty £12 catch and that is not on top of your monthly subscription, that's on top of every single time you want to use the sauna or steam room. They describe this new and improved £12 extra tax on the poorer or working class public, as a 'Spa Experience' which lasts up to 3 hours. You also need to book this session in advance and to be fair, who would ever remember to do that after a long day. I don't know a single person on Earth that can endure a sauna or steam room for 3 hours. To stretch the healing to 3 hours would be a chore in itself and I doubt that anyone would pay £12 for that privilege. There are of course more that the separate 'Spa Experience' area offers but these too are NOT covered by the £12 sauna fee. You can have a massage or a facial or any other treatments other Spa retreats offer but these will cost you an additional fee. This new and improved 'public' facility was supposed to be for the general public. However, for those who are disabled or injured or even the elderly who need the use of the sauna and steam room to loosen up for 30 minutes, this place is to be avoided, not out of being unfit for purpose but for being unfit for the pocket. No working man or those on benefits could ever justify the £12 extra fee even for a onetime special treat. This new Olympia Centre has in fact hi-lighted that the working class and those on benefits or a pension are NOT welcome. This £12 tax cannot be justified per use of the facilities for healing or to loosen up after the gymnasium, as those in charge of the public purse seen fit to exclude them from this new 'Spa Experience'. No disabled, pensioner, injured or working class person could ever justify the £12 surcharge in their lives to ever be included in this new public Leisure Centre or would they ever be permitted to, due to the foresight of the powers that be to keep the needy from their doors. This Centre basically keeps the disabled, the elderly, the injured and the poor from their doors with this new £12 tax on rehabilitation, social gathering and leisure center for all concerned.

This is a well equipped, spacious gym on the Falls Road just a few minutes from the city centre…read more They have all the equipment you'd expect: cardio machines, weights, free weights, etc. It also has a 25 metre swimming pool, sauna, badminton courts, and controversial unisex changing rooms - don't get excited, they're individual cubicles. You can also avail of the Boost Scheme because it's a leisure centre in Belfast city council (see my Andersonstown Leisure Centre review). The good thing is that it's never quite as busy as its Andersonstown counterpart.

We drove along the Falls Road which was really quiet as schools are off, and my two girls were in…read moreawe of the murals. I explained to them about the difference between murals and graffiti which baffled them. They're still too young to understand the meaning!! We were en route to the excellent Hospital for Sick Children. What a place-the old and the new. Great staff!! Lastly we popped in to see the leisure centre as we were meeting friends.

Everything you need here to work up a sweat. Swimming pools, fitness suites (including weights,…read morerunning machines, and all the usual leisure centre stuff), spin classes etc. It's got quite a spacious fitness suite with a lot of machines and equipment, still it can get very busy in the evenings because it's very popular. Costs around £4 to train here, but the council introduced a "boost" scheme, where you can save money by paying in advance, or arranging for a direct debit to be set up. What is an absolute joke, though, is that "all adult monthly Boost memberships have an administration fee of £15 to activate" - what?! So I fill in a form and hand it in, someone spends 5-10 minutes putting my details into a computer, presses print and gives me a plastic card, and I get charged £15? Who runs this place, Halifax?

I'll not be going to the London 2012 Olympics as the next big swimmer. I will not be the next…read moreMichelle De Brun, unless then allow so performance enhancing swimming competitions in which case hook me up and watch me go. The pool area which is the reason why I travelled all this way is your run of the mill, typical swimming pool complete with lifeguards and changing rooms. There a separate pools for children, not very good swimmers and the very good swimmers. The biggest pool isn't quite Olympic standard but then again neither am I. The one issue I have with places like this is hygene and Im glad to say this place is excellent. Swimming pools need to be kept clean and the staff here do a very good job. The Leisure Centre also has room for indoor football and gym to flex your pecks. As long as a place like this can be clean and cheap, then it gets a thumbs up from me. A great day out for young folks and old folks alike

I've only used the pool. I win master the front crawl. A few classes is be interested in trying…read moreso will have to fit them in. Then joy of joy Clements. Coffee after exercise. Life just doesn't get better than this. That and the fun of pretending to be a student. Overall the facilities are great. Loads of classes to choose from and good sized pool.

I've been a member of PEC now since just before Xmas, so just under a month. I'm impressed so far…read more Though I've only used the gym its absolutely great. Lots of machines and rarely a wait for anything. Its also extremely good price wise with no long contracts. I'd highly recommend the place if your looking for a well stocked, convenient gym or leisure centre with long opening times. Spot on!