Sunday, April 01, 2012

Yardmen walk (and timelapse)

While attending the UUP AGM and leadership election was one way of avoiding the Titanic celebrations on Saturday*, it's difficult not to get caught up in some of the events and commemorations.

This morning, Westbourne Presbyterian Community Church hosted a Yardmen service, remembering the contribution of congregation members who used to work in the shipyards of Belfast. Open for more than 130 years, the same wooden pews that we sat on this morning would previously have been filled with riveters, welders, carpenters, electricians and so on.

After the service, a Yardmen walk (and cycle ride) had been organised to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK. Flat caps were issued, and hundreds of wannabe shipyard workers - yardmen - set off from Pitt Park, through the newly renamed Titanic Quarter railway halt, and over towards Titanic Belfast were we stopped to have our 'piece'. Then everyone headed behind the visitor centre and posed for a photograph.

At the end of the 60 second timelapse, you'll spot everyone throwing their dunchers into the air.

* There was never any chance that either of the UUP leadership candidates were going to mention the Titanic in their speeches!

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