Chapter 2: Summer
It’s summer in the Foyle. The sunshine brings tourists and carnivals to the walled city, and downstream, there are signs of new life in the forests, treetops and dune systems.
The In Your Space circus youth troupe practises for their summer Carnival of Colours show. At Brook Hall, Ann Gilliland has returned from America to her childhood home with a group of boat builders from the Pacific islands. They plan to carve a fallen tree into a traditional canoe for use on the Foyle river.
In Muff Glen Forest, conservation officer Aaron is searching for new life in the trees and any sign of red squirrel babies, known as kits.
In the heart of Creggan, Repair and Share Foyle is a community initiative run by Caroline. At their fixing cafes, everyday objects are given new life. Sunshine brings hundreds of people, including the hospice’s doctor, Colum Farrelly, out to the riverside for the annual male hospice walk.
Summer has come to Magilligan prison tree nursery. Aisling is out at a nearby farm, gathering seeds in from native trees to be sown back behind the prison walls.
Warmer nights means NI Bat group’s volunteer Karen is surveying the city’s treetops. Preserving the historic city walls is a year-round labour of love for warden Garvin and team. Summer brings thousands of tourists walking the monument.
The city’s textile heritage was shaped by generations of skilled women. Local Martina is hoping that Repair and Share Foyle’s volunteers can fix up her late mother’s beloved sewing machine.
Umbra nature reserve is a protected habitat for rare species. Summer means that Ulster Wildlife conservation office Katy is searching for a special solitary bee in amongst the dune systems.
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