Belfast city centre rang to the thud of hammers and the revs of lorries this week as preparations for the 2022 Christmas Market got under way.Visitors were asked to show proof of a Covid vaccination or a negative test.
Allan Hartwell, managing director of Marketplace, the company that runs the market, has been on site in hard hat organising the workforce. "We started work a week before Remembrance Sunday - took that day off - and started back on Sunday night." Mr Hartwell said the war in Ukraine meant traders from St Elizabeth's Convent and orphanage in Belarus could not make the journey this year.The scene at Belfast City Hall as preparations get under way for the Christmas Market"All the profits from here go to the village. King has been coming here for a number of years.