Awards CAP 2025

The Good Relations Awards 2025 is intended to recognise the increasing level of outstanding community relations, intercultural and peacebuilding work that is taking place across all our communities in Northern Ireland.

This important work is already improving people’s lives, their outlook for the future, and further strengthening community spirit.

This year there are six Awards categories (increased from five last year), which we hope will shine a light on those who always go above and beyond to make the world a better place for all.

For 2025, the Community Relations Council and The Executive Office (TEO) were delighted to work in partnership with NICVA, NI Youth Forum, Volunteer Now, and Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. We also launched the inaugural Good Relations ‘Housing for All’ Award in partnership with NI Housing Executive.

Community Arts Partnership

This year’s Award trophies were created in partnership with the Community Arts Partnership (CAP). Community Art is the process of harnessing the transformative power of original artistic expression to produce a range of outcomes: artistic, social, cultural and environmental.

CAP is the lead agency for the promotion, development and delivery of community arts in Northern Ireland.

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Glassmaking and Wooden Base

Working with CAP, we created the Award trophies for five categories, which utilised recycled glass and wood.

Follow along with glassmaker Natasha Duddy’s journey to create the Good Relations Awards 2024 trophies, and the technical skills required to craft this unique Award.

You can find out more about Natasha here.

The wood used for the base of the Awards has an interesting story. The wood turner – Richard Phelan of RJP Turning – has used Irish Elm from a tree which has naturally fallen, due to storms, in the Ballylough House Estate near Bushmills, Northern Ireland. He lets the wood air dry for a period of time, to season the material, preventing cracks. He chose this particular wood due its natural grain and the fact it is a hard native wood. The wood turner then finished the wooden base with a natural polish to enhance the natural colour and marks on the wood.

Community Poets

CAP also invited Community Poets to reflect on the values of “good relations” for the Good Relations Awards 2025.

The central values the poets reflected upon through haiku included the overall theme of Good Relations as well as the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy.

Haiku

Haiku are a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditionally, a haiku has three lines with five syllables in the first and third lines, and seven syllables in the second line. Often set in nature, haiku focus on a brief moment in time, juxtaposing two images, and creating a sudden sense of enlightenment.

As part of the Good Relations Awards programme, we invited the authors of each haiku to read their poems.

Below you will find a transcript of the haiku poetry, as well as more information about the four featured community poets who provided a reading in the video above.

Composed by Colin Dardis

Colin Dardis is the author of ten poetry collections, most recently with the lakes (above/ground press, 2023) and What We Look Like in the Future (Red Wolf Editions, 2023). A neurodivergent poet, editor and sound artist, his work has been published widely throughout Ireland, the UK and USA. Colin is co-host of the long-running open mic night, Purely Poetry, held in the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, and editor of the poetry blog, Poem Alone.

early morning frost

on dead leaves – a sudden sun,

the hillside breathes in

 

a break in the clouds –

finally, the day reveals

its gap-toothed laughter

 

in absence of trees,

birds perch on our aerials –

wild reinvention

 

this bird, back and forth,

back and forth, until every

fledging has their fill

 

Composed by Heather Martin

Heather Martin is a poet and playwright from Australia, currently living in Belfast. As a playwright she has had seven of her plays produced across Australia, Ireland, England, and Switzerland and two are published. In 2016 she was shortlisted for Queensland Theatre’s Young Playwright of the Year award. She is the founder of Belfast Playwrights and ScriptJam Playwriting Workshop with Colm Keegan.

Is it safe there now?

Say those who don’t understand

the sun’s warm and gold. 

 

It’s identity 

that matters the most. But now, 

we don’t need to know. 

 

The North no longer 

has an assumed narrative. Now

we write together.

 

Composed by Jane McComb

Jane is a photographer and poet living in Co Down. Exhibitions include The Ulster Museum, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Marketplace Armagh, Canvas and The Royal Ulster Academy. Photographic images accompanied by poetry: Poetry and Place – John Hewitt Writing School and touring Ards Peninsula. Aspects Literature Festival Bangor. International Women’s Day Exhibition Liberty Island. Published poetry: Anthologies including Poetry Now, Gaze, and Poetry in Motion for the last 6 years. Online: Recording with The Ulster Orchestra responding to her poem On Belfast Lough Community Relations Awards in conjunction with CAP Arts: Haikus. Most recently she was a reader at The Seamus Heaney Centre Flow project.

darkest of winters

yet spring will come once again

as every year

 

under frozen ground

green shoots wait unwearyingly

and roots bear on down

 

sunshine will break through

interminable grey skies

wakening tired souls

 

the song birds will sing

breaking into the dream space

heralding springtime

 

soil and sand will warm

and we will walk light-footed

on welcoming ground

 

Composed by Una Woods

Una Woods is a Belfast writer who has published prose and poetry over the years, from The Dark Hole Days, published by Blackstaff Press, 1985, through to contributions of stories, poems and prose pieces to anthologies in Ireland and the UK, including The Glass Shore, published by New Island Books, 2016.  For some time her focus has been on poems and to date she has published four poetry collections with Ashtrees Press – Afternoons, an icicle for an eye, splintered vision and The ordinary of the disquiet. https://www.unawoodspoetry-ireland.com/

To begin again the effort 

that becomes nothing when ended

like this poem

 

You see the point

of fail

you dot the i

 

In the apple-voweled orchard

through consonants of trees

metaphors make days of sun-glimmers

 

The orange light in the

ajar door

you’ll be home in a chink