Ashton Community Trust – Bridge of Hope brought together people who lived through the Troubles/conflict and young people growing up with its legacy to explore what resilience means across the generations — and to tell that story on film.
Glen McCrum, Resilience Co-ordinator, Ashton-
“This project is a testament to what happens when communities are given the space and the tools to tell their own stories. Seeing older residents and young people work together— learning from each other, listening to each other — has been genuinely moving. These films are not just a record of the past; they are a foundation for the future.”
Over 10 weeks, participants from New Lodge Arts, New Lodge Youth Group, and Ashton Seniors Group worked side by side. With training and support from the Nerve Centre Belfast and NI Screen, they learned filming and post-production skills, and created their own documentaries. NI Screen opened its historical archive — footage spanning the 1960s to 1990s — for participants to draw on in their films.
Project participant-
“I never thought I’d be sitting in a film studio learning how to make a documentary. But more than that, I never expected to find so much in common with people from a completely different generation. We’ve all been shaped by what happened here — and now we’ve had the chance to say something about it, in our own words.”
The project culminated in a showcase event at the Nerve Centre, where families, friends and funders were invited to watch the finished documentaries. The films will now be permanently added to NI Screen’s Digital Film Archive, giving the communities’ stories a lasting home.
The initiative is part of Ashton’s wider Resilience Programme as Partners in VSS-PULSE, a £21.7M project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.
James Butler- PEACEPLUS Partnership Manager, VSS
“The VSS-PULSE project supports work that places people’s lived experience at the heart of how we understand and respond to the legacy of the Troubles/conflict. Projects like this demonstrate that PEACEPLUS funding is building bridges across communities and generations, through investing in programmes that build resilience.”