What’s growing in the Green House? Creating a city centre safe space for artists

Becky Bellamy and Connor Kerr started working together by chance in 2017. Becky saw online that Connor, a trained hairstylist, was going to do a pop-up hair salon to fundraise for The Rainbow Project. She got in touch to offer them her help, with her professional background in project management. They quickly realised they wanted to continue whatever it was they had started, and Show Some Love was born. Now eight years later, they’re one of Belfast’s most recognisable independent charities.

Temporary spaces for long-term plans

Following the success of the pop-up, Another World Belfast, with their message to “SHOW SOME LOVE” would spend the next seven years moving from one temporary space to another, each one a little bigger than the one before, and each helping them craft the identity and the model of what would become their charity.

They worked out of store rooms and vacant retail premises, a stock room in Lush in Belfast City Centre, and a storage space in Vault Artist Studios’ former residence in East Belfast.

Becky Bellamy, co-founder of Show Some Love, describes this as a very Belfast story. “It’s the, ‘do you know who you need to speak to?’ thing.” The charity has always been bolstered by the kindness of their community, and it’s a kindness they try to pay forward now.

How to show some love

Local people might recognise SHOW SOME LOVE as a slogan, as they spray painted the words on walls and electrical boxes in Belfast and beyond in 2019. They became known for their social media presence, making sure they practiced what they preached when it came to advocating for people and building a community.

They established their mission: we will demonstrate that Another World is possible, by addressing the symptoms of inequality, and also its causes, with practical, secular projects based on community, creativity and collaboration to make happier humans.

Becky, Connor and their volunteers worked relentlessly right through the pandemic and solidified two of their main charitable outputs: distributing toiletries to people who need them, and selling second hand clothes to fund their operations and allow them to create a ‘Free Store’ clothing bank for people experiencing hardship. To date, they have collected and distributed 400,000+ hygiene products, underwear and clothing to people living in hardship and helped to save over 100 tonnes of textile waste from landfill.

From a vacant office to a vibrant green house

171 - 175 Victoria Street had been lying vacant for three years when Becky and Connor went to view it after seeing it listed as a rental property online. It had been a solicitors’ offices for decades. The main feature of the building is a stunning glass atrium that gave the space its new name: Green House.

“Connor and I just knew straight away that this was the place because there's something about the mezzanine floor, the openness of it and the glass. Even if you’re sitting here having a meeting, you still sort of feel like you're connected to the main space.”

Belfast City Council’s Vacant to Vibrant scheme allowed Show Some Love to take over the building. The scheme aims to reduce vacancy, address dereliction and support local independent businesses in the city centre and across Belfast. To date, 40 applicants have been approved for grants, creating everything from bakeries to art galleries in formerly vacant properties.

Being one of the successful applicants to Belfast 2024’s Open Call for Creative Programme Ideas also allowed Another World Belfast to secure some money to pay real living wage staff project costs for a year. “The rest of it was basically just blood, sweat and tears. Thousands and thousands of volunteer hours, and hundreds of litres of brilliant white emulsion,” says Becky.

They upcycled furniture that was already there, spray painting tables and lampshades in fluorescent pinks and yellows. Groups and individuals donated additional furniture, books, and even plants. Show Some Love wanted to set a new precedent for what a charity shop can look like.

“We need to have people who are running a meeting for their business feel comfortable in the same way that we want an artist to feel comfortable. Let's make it feel like an art space, let's make it feel like a creative, inspiring environment, but one that feels very professional and clean.”

Becky is quick to credit their volunteers for maintaining these standards and keeping the doors open six days a week. “We've got people from every type of demographic or situation you can think of. It’s like The Breakfast Club! The one thing they all have in common is that they're all sound.”

A home for the arts

This new space, with offices, meeting rooms, a small kitchen and a large board room tucked away across two levels, meant Show Some Love could offer a new kind of home for the arts.

The building has a membership scheme, starting at just £25 per month, which allows people to use the space to work on projects, avail of the free WiFi, and be around likeminded folk.

“One of our charitable goals is around building community,” says Becky, “We’ve always wanted people to use the space to run their own things. We've set it up, but it's not just our space.”

Becky talks about the writing group who meet in The Green House every Saturday. Other organisations have been using the space for training, volunteering and brainstorming. The clothing racks in the atrium provide the backdrop for the Show Some Love podcast. And a glance at their social media accounts will show makers markets, crafty workshops and a weekly Sunday Service – a ‘church without religion’ which popstar Kate Nash recently attended and delivered the sermon!

Another World Belfast can’t easily be pigeon-holed. They are multi-purpose, multi-faceted and ever-evolving. While this is their greatest strength, it also leads to challenges when they don’t fit the criteria for various funding.

Where does such a unique organisation look to for inspiration? Becky mentions BOXPARK in Shoreditch, the pop-up shopping mall based in shipping containers. Closer to home, she points to how Banana Block regenerated an old linen mill in East Belfast to host markets, and be a home for makers of all kinds. She also mentions the work of Vault Artist Studios, who have been providing affordable studio space for artists in disused buildings since 2017.

So, what’s next for Green House? The team are working towards getting their entertainment licence. Like everything else they do, the events they programme will be rooted in the wants and needs of their community.

“We need to have a stronger queer voice in the city,” says Becky. “The events themselves are part of our impact, just in the nature of them being inclusive by design. That’s unique and to be protected. Hopefully we get to do more of those things and bring in a bit more fundraising at the same time so we can keep our doors open.”

How to find a Green House of your own:

If you’re trying to find a more permanent base for your organisation, these are our tips:

• Becky says to beware of ‘meanwhile spaces’. If you’re looking for a pop-up space, they’re great, but if you want a more long-term home these temporary contracts can leave you at risk of building a community connected to a place then having to leave it behind.
• Don’t do it by yourself. Becky points to collaboration and forming co-operative spaces with other artists or organisations as being a way to save money, have someone to run ideas past or throw an office Christmas party with!
• Use social media effectively. If you don’t have a permanent physical space, building a strong online place for an audience is a way of creating relationships that can transfer from online to offline. Social media is integral to how Show Some Love built a clear voice, a strong visual identity, and found a community for their services.

Artists who are interested in becoming members of the Green House as a co-working space can find out more on their website. They’re also always on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers. If you just fancy a look around their space and a peruse of some of the second-hand clothing on sale, Green House is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-6pm