A community in North Belfast came together this week to light up the street's Christmas trees and kick off the festive season.
The initiative on Glandore Avenue, organised by the Restore Glandore ATC Community Group, sees residents place fairy lights around the tree outside their home. So far this year, over 30 households along the road have been involved, creating a beautiful display along the tree-lined street.
The festive tradition began three years ago, after brothers Carl and Nathan Hughes launched a plan to "flower bomb" the area in the spring time to lighten up the urban streets. Wanting to keep spirits high as the plants withered in the winter, they put their efforts into spreading the word about the magical display.
Read more: Neighbours join forces to 'flower bomb' their area
Read more: Julian Simmons kick-starts Christmas season in Belfast neighbourhood
Last year, the Christmas lights were switched on by TV personality Julian Simmons, which the brothers say helped bring a "bit of glam to Glandore." This year, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Micky Murray, was the guest of honour launching the festive celebration.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Carl Hughes said: "We were looking for things to do in the winter when the flowers started to die, and noticed one of our neighbours put Christmas lights in front of the tree outside their home. We thought it was a brilliant idea and put a post up about it.
"The first year we had maybe ten trees done, the next year there were more, and this year we've had the most yet with still more to do.
"We've had Instagrammers coming from all over to get their festive photos taken. We've created something out of nothing really, and it's tied all the residents together. Every tree symbolises the engagement between all the different houses - we must have a minimum of around 30 trees at the minute on the main avenue. It's also going to help Santa get down onto Glandore Avenue - it's a landing strip!"
Nathan Hughes said the initiative has helped further show their appreciation for the trees in the area. He said: "What's lovely about it is people have said they now come to the street to walk their dogs, or have a romantic stroll at the end of the night.
"Part of it was to symbolise our appreciation for the trees in the area. We campaigned successfully to have 28 trees replanted, and we're hoping to get more in the street. It goes to show that people do appreciate the trees, and it's about making the most of what you have right on your doorstep.
This year is the community's second year running winning Best Community Street at the Belfast in Bloom awards for their efforts. The focus of the group is to bring the community together while raising historical and restoration awareness.
Carl said: "We're trying to push for our Area of Townscape Character to be constituted or adopted so we can prevent further erosion of the area when it comes to bad planning decisions. It's a family area for family houses, and we welcome developers coming in creating good quality family homes in keeping with the area.
"We also look at different elements of the street, such as the old fashioned street signs, we have been working with 9ft in Common who have helped us create the first prototype of a traditional Belfast street sign. It's going to be erected in the area and we hope to create more of these street signs and roll them out across the city, to raise awareness of some of the old street furniture we're losing."
As for how their efforts have helped bring residents together, Carl added: "A lot more people know each other and people look out for each other. On the page, they'll notify us of anything going on in the area, which we didn't really have happening before."
To find out more about the Restore Glandore ATC Community Group, click here.
Have a look through our photo gallery below for some photos from the Glandore Avenue Christmas light switch-on.
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