The Belfast Drop 📍 Thursday 10 July 2025
Bonfire to be removed, East Belfast care home plans slammed, leisure centre staff to strike + The Twelfth events.
☀ Good morning and welcome to The Belfast Drop. I hope you’re all keeping well and enjoying the return of the sunshine. If you’re new here, have a read below for a run-through on who I am and what this is all about, and make sure to spread the word! Here’s Thursday’s edition.
🔥 Belfast councillors have voted to remove a controversial Eleventh Night bonfire that could disrupt power supply to two hospitals. - BBC News NI.
🚨 A woman has been left in critical condition after an assault in North Belfast. - Liam Tunney, Belfast Telegraph.
🏢 Belfast council has announced plans to bid for one of the city’s oldest buildings. - Rebecca Black, PA.
✊ Workers at Belfast leisure centres have voted for industrial action over the summer. - Conor McParland, Belfast Media Group.
☕️ An East Belfast cafe has called for a new city centre food market to change its name. - Connor Lynch, Belfast Live.
🏨 Plans to turn an East Belfast hotel into a care home have been described as “tone deaf”. - Michael Kenwood, Local Democracy Reporter.
🏥 Senior doctors at the Belfast Trust first raised serious concerns about the organisation’s culture and its impact on staff 18 months ago. - Deborah McAleese, UTV.
💔 The family of a North Belfast boy who passed away from a rare illness said they are “hurt” after learning City Hall won’t be lit up to raise awareness of his condition. - Conor McParland, Belfast Media Group.
🚨 A man who was accused of having a sawn-off shotgun and assorted ammunition stored at his former home in Belfast has been bailed. - Court report from Alan Erwin.
🥁 The annual 12th July celebrations take place this weekend, with parades across Northern Ireland. - Sophie McLaughlin, Belfast Live.
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📌 Belfast City Council’s Summer Fun Days kick off from 2pm-4.30pm today at Falls Park, with free activities for kids including face-painting, lawn games, and bouncy castles. More details here.
📌 A fun day at Orangefield Park is taking place from 6.30pm-8.30pm today. An organiser said the free community event will have activities for kids as well as burgers and ice creams.
📌 Woodvale Festival is hosting its annual family fun day on Friday from 12pm-4pm at Woodvale Park. A fairground will be in place, and a street party will also take place on Twaddell Avenue from 12pm-2pm with a range of free activities for children.
📌 The Ulster Museum is hosting free family focus days this Saturday and Sunday from 2pm-3pm. The museum said: “Learn something new and handle museum objects in our free, family-friendly sessions in each of the Discovery Centres on the second Saturday and Sunday of the month!” - More details here.
📌 The first weekly free Sunday Chess meet-up will take place at 2 Royal Avenue this Sunday from 2pm-5pm. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Full details here.
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🎌 And finally… The Japanese Ambassador to the UK arrived in Belfast yesterday, and has been documenting his time travelling around Northern Ireland over on his Twitter page:
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