The community garden at Mackie’s is in full swing! 🌱
Raised beds that were built at our recent workshop at Gairdín an Phobail are now planted with potatoes 🥔, radishes , lettuce 🥬, calendula 🌼, strawberries 🍓, and onions 🧅!
All thanks to the detoxifying work of the local primary school kids!
A special thank you to the amazing Collaboration for Change organisers for bringing everyone together, and to the incredible chefs from Kind Economy for preparing a delicious lunch that added warmth and connection to the day.
The day was shaped by meaningful conversations on migration, education, anti-racism, fair work, and how we build stronger connections through collective action.
On Friday, Kind Economy activists gathered at @unisonni.bsky.social for a “Creating a Different Story” workshop, part of the Collaboration for Change series.
We were joined by the 16+ Education Campaign, DAR Men’s Group, @actnowcampaigns.bsky.social, and others working for positive change.
We’re excited to have an event in the programme on Wed 13th May, celebrating grassroots community organising in Upper Springfield. Find our event and all others in the programme here 👉 www.mhani.org/festival-2026
#NewScript were delighted to be at the launch of the 2026 Mental Health Arts Mindset Festival yesterday, taking place across NI from 8-15th May ❤️
Huge congratulations for your new look, and a fantastic programme of events!
Communities on the ground already know what needs to be done, visit takebackthecity.ie to find out more 🔗
There are nearly twice as many homeless households across the north as there were in 2016, but the government has started construction on 1,000 fewer homes… 🤔
The Department for Communities keep missing their own targets, while families live in temporary accommodation for months or even years 🏡
Today we brief the All-Party Group on Suicide Prevention:
❌ Failing on transparency
❌ Failing on accountability
❌ Failing on ambition
✅ Full transparency & accountability
✅ Target resources to where need is greatest
✅ Deliver life-saving actions now
Read more 👉 bit.ly/4smD1PK
How much is NI spending on suicide prevention?
We asked.
DoH: ask the PHA.
PHA: ask the DoH.
The truth? No central budget. No oversight.
People are dying preventable deaths while the system can’t even track its response.
Did you catch #TakeBacktheCity on the radio last weekend? 👂📻
PPR’s Assistant Director Marissa spoke to Radio Ulster about the development of the Take Back the City campaign, for an episode of Consumer Fight Back on housing.
Listen to the full episode here 👉 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Healthcare workers in the Kind Economy network have been calling out this issue since the pandemic, and many other skilled individuals in the asylum system are still banned from working.
Join the Kind Economy today 👉 www.nlb.ie/take-action/...
A High Court challenge brought by two doctors who were banned from working in the NHS while waiting for an asylum decision, has led to the UK Home Office lifting the ban on working for doctors and some other NHS jobs.
But why did it take a high court challenge to fill these shortages in the NHS?
The #Give5 campaign is pushing for something radically different:
A mental health system rooted in human rights, not coercion and control.
Find out more and get involved here 👉 www.nlb.ie/campaigns/me...
Trump has announced plans to bring back ‘insane asylums’ in the US.
As psychologist Dr. Jessica Taylor explains, we’ve been here before and it did not end well 👉 bit.ly/4tybmfS
We know only too well the harm caused by systems that prioritise control over care.
Take Back the City activists were getting their hands dirty again this week, establishing the St Clare’s Primary School tree nursery as part of our collective fight in replenishing our land 🌳
These trees will be looked after and cared for by the kids, before being planted on Divis Mountain!
The Hillsborough Law is a chance to change that — but only if it is strong, enforceable, and without exemptions.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt says it will apply here. Now he needs to tell us how!
Across mental health, mother and baby homes, policing, prisons, and the military — the same patterns repeat: deny, distort, delay.
That’s the opposite of candour.
Powerful event on Candour and Communities yesterday in St Comgall’s.
Families at the coalface of accountability and justice campaigns shared valuable insights: Cover-ups aren’t rare. They are systemic.
We got together this afternoon with #TakeBacktheCity activists, some old and some new, to talk about the campaign…
It was great to hear from people about what the campaign has meant for them, and how we can keep pushing for change in the future 💛🏡
Keep up to date at takebackthecity.ie
On Monday, #TakeBacktheCity held a great workshop with some of the young people from @springboardopps.bsky.social, chatting to them about the campaign, and their own knowledge and experience of housing issues in their areas 🏡
Lots of future leaders and campaigners in the room! ✊
Maith sibh everyone who joined our woodworking workshop with Gairdín an Phobail on Friday!
A great morning learning the basics of measuring, cutting, and assembling wood, and even making some new planters to go up on the new community garden at Mackie’s! ✊
#TakeBacktheCity
Reminders from nature -
1. Everything’s changes, even the longest winters can’t last forever.
2. All we need is under our feet
3. It’s all about connection.
It’s a tonic to be working with women’s groups in Newhill Community Centre as they dream their new outdoor spaces into being 🌱
Eid Mubarak to all our followers who are celebrating today! 🌙
Whether spending time with friends and family in Belfast, or in contact with loved ones back home, we hope everyone has a safe and peaceful Eid 💛
No data. No accountability. No reform.
A recent blog from the New Script for Mental Health campaign breaks down the stark truth about mental health data in NI.
Read it here 👉 www.nlb.ie/blog/277/no-...
Our community Iftars are such an important way for the new members of our community to feel welcome, and to share their cultures from their home with friends from their new home in Belfast 💛💛
Thank you to everyone who helps to make them happen!!
#Solidarity #KindEconomy
At Iftar, people who are fasting come together with family and friends to celebrate and break their fast together.
For refugees, asylum seekers, and other newcomers to Belfast this can be a difficult time to be far away from family and friends back home.
They also offer a wide range of resources, including:
📚 An online library of videos and books
🤝 Weekly and monthly support groups
🎤 Guest speakers
🌿 Their annual Stolen Lives Picnic for Prescribed Harm Day (29 July)
If you want to learn more or get involved, visit: www.antidepressantrisks.org
That’s exactly why this platform exists — to give you access to:
✨ Evidence-based information
✨ Real stories from people who’ve experienced both the ups and downs
✨ Support from others who’ve been there and understand
At Antidepressant Risks, the mission is clear: make sure everyone has the information they need to make informed choices before starting antidepressants — something we at New Script fully stand behind.
