As our regular visitors will know, Thomas McDonald was deliberately knocked-down by a car and killed in September 2001. In the years since his death, the BUA have held many functions to commemorate the life of young Thomas, and to raise awareness of the injustice of his killer, Alison McKeown, receiving a paltry 2 year prison sentence for his murder.

On this occasion, we were proud to support a group of Fife Loyalists who also wanted to remember Thomas and offer their support to his long suffering family. The event was organised by the internet Loyalist radio station, Proddy FM, and we had been invited to attend due to our past work in remembering young Thomas. A good selection of Loyalist music and songs were played and well received by the large number of people in attendance.

During the evening, our spokesman talked about the circumstances surrounding Thomas’s death and the role that the British Ulster Alliance has played in supporting the McDonald family, their fight for justice and our continued support for the Loyalist/Unionist communities both in Ulster and on the Mainland. With the speeches out of the way, the Thornlie Boys did what they do best, and played a storming set that was enthusiastically received by everyone present. Half way through the set, the mood was slowed down when they played ‘16 Years’, an original British Ulster Alliance composition dedicated to and about the life of young Thomas. The song was respectfully received by the crowd.

Towards the end of the event, a raffle was held and the proceeds of this and the door money were donated to the BUA Thomas McDonald Memorial Committee, with a cheque for £830 being presented to the Chairman. The Committee will liaise closely with the McDonald family to ensure that the money will be utilised properly. In addition, the Committee sold a number of ‘United We Stand’ CD’s (the BUA’s very own album of original Loyalist songs) and did a brisk trade in our new design BUA pin badges.

Our thanks were given to Tam, Proddy FM, the Thornlie Boys, the Landlord of the venue and all those in attendance.

On Saturday morning we travelled to White City to collect 2 teams of kids who were playing in the BUA sponsored "Interface-Action Cup 5 a side tournament. On our arrival at the Shankill leisure centre we were greeted by helpers from the EBCWG and two teams from East Belfast. The tournament kicked off at 2.00pm and all the kids played with great enthusiasm and in the spirit of friendship. The junior "Interface-Action" cup was won by East Belfast and the senior "Interface-Action" cup was won by White City. Next year we hope to expand the tournament to accommodate more teams from various communities. On our return to White City we were greeted by local residents who laid on a fantastic meal for all the adults and kids. After the meal it was time to present the cups and medals. Both winners and runner-ups received cups and every player received a medal complete with union flag ribbon. Before leaving White City we presented a cheque for £500.00 to the White City Community Development Association. This donation will go towards a much needed childrens playground. Saturday night we attended the annual "Battle Of The Bands" competition in Rathcoole. As usual the standard of playing was first class and it inspired those of us who are members of the BUA Flute Band to practise even harder. Sunday morning was spent thanking those who had provided us with accommodation and the usual hospitality throughout the weekend.

The BUA wish to send sincere thanks to the following individuals and organisations:
East Belfast Concerned Womens Group. The Longfellow Bar. The Ibrox Bar (formerly the Bunch Of Grapes). The residents of Cluan Place. The Union Jack Shop. Our friends from the Fountain Estate, Londonderry. White City Community Development Association and residents. Shankill leisure centre, particularly the referee. All the young footballers who took part in the tournament. Eastway Social Club. Rathcoole residents and friends. Battle Of The Bands organisers. All those who purchased the BUA CD and Calton Radio for promoting it on their station.

Final thanks go to all those who have contributed to our "Interface-Action" activities here on the mainland.

The shrinking estate houses one primary school - the Fountain Primary, which not only serves the young children of the estate but also serves children from outside of the estate. Due to government recommendation figures the Fountain Primary has been threatened with closure within the next two years if they cannot maintain their current pupil levels.This has been put severely to the test with the removal of government funding for transporting children to and from the school.Without a school on the estate, the young families that live on the estate will be forced to move from the area in search of alternative education for their children, leaving the estate - as with others before them around Northern Ireland - abandoned and derelict.

We had the privilege to meet Headmistress Isobel McNally, along with community representatives John Thompson and David Nicholl to chat openly about the effects on the school, the estate and the unionist population in general throughout both sides of the River Foyle, with the problems the Fountain has faced becoming more and more apparent on the
so-called 'unionist' side of the city on the Waterside, where families are also on the move, pressured out of Londonderry and further into North Antrim and beyond by the Labour government-supported republican terror machine.

During our visit a cheque for £500 was presented to Ms McNally on behalf of the British Ulster Alliance, to help the school in trying to finance their own transportation, however more help for the Fountain Primary is vital for its survival. The British Ulster Alliance are willing to listen and work with any of the 'loyal' groups that feel they can help the school.

During our stay on the estate we were guests at the unveiling of a new mural, commissioned in honour of the BUA and the work they have done for the estate. It took stone throwing yobs wearing Celtic shirts less than an hour to attempt to gain entrance into the estate to deface the mural, only to be chased away by local youths guarding the entrance to the estate before a belated police presence arrived.

After leaving Londonderry, our group headed to the Battle of the Bands competition organised by the Cloughfern Young Conquerors Flute Band, where an amazing display of loyalist music was on show. An official invite was made during the evening for the up and coming BUA flute band to guest at next years competition, where we hope our band can show how they have developed.

We would like to thank our friends in Ballymoney for laying on a function on the Friday evening where a generous donation was made to help us in future projects through our Interface Action initiative.Finally, a thank you to our friends from Rathcoole, White City and East Belfast for their hospitality and helping make our weekend a successful one.

Just over a year and a half after our first official visit to the Fountain Estate in Londonderry, the British Ulster Alliance were very pleased to return the favour of our hosts that day by supporting them on a visit to London. Our destination was no.10 Downing Street, to deliver two clear messages to the Prime Minister. Firstly, that despite the announcements of decommisioning and end of activities by the IRA, Unionist housing estates are still under attack from the SF/IRA ethnic cleansing campaign, and secondly, to remind the Prime Minister that Loyalist groups are ready and willing to talk to him to discuss the situation in Northern Ireland.

BUA members and supporters held a peaceful protest in Whitehall, which suprised an inquisitive public as they stopped and chatted - most had thought that the Northern Ireland 'problem' had 'gone away'. An easily made mistake with the broadcasting blackout that seems to be taking place to hoodwink us here on the mainland. Peace in Northern Ireland is a myth - the bombings may have stopped, but they have been replaced by low key / high intensity attacks on neighbourhoods throughout Ulster.

UPRG & PIN representatives were joined by BUA members in handing in a full dossier on the Fountain Estate with cover letters from both groups. Details within the letters reported the following attacks on the estate in the past year alone: 1 pipe bomb - 21 petrol bombs - 16 paint bombs - 5 stone attacks - 8 people assaulted - 2 cars damaged - 10 instances of sectarian abuse. One concerning point related to the fact that the ethnic cleansing campaign on unionists had spread over the River Foyle onto the Waterside area of the city with firebomb attacks reported on the Irish Street and Tullyally communities.

A function was held in the evening where our guests delivered an emotional speech which would go into more detail on the problems faced within their community. Many of our supporters listened in disbelief at what is going on in the North Western corner of the United Kingdom. Afterwhich the BUA announced that the following February, we would once again visit the Fountain Estate as part of our Educational Visit 2006. A letter from the East Belfast Concerned Womens Group showing their support for the day was also read out.

The British Ulster Alliance would like to thank everyone who attended the day and evening events and made both a complete success. In particular our friends from Rathcoole for making the trip over, and also to the British Ulster Alliance Flute Band - whose debut as a full band was warmly received by all those in attendance.

Floral tributes to Thomas McDonald.

Friday night was spent in Ballymoney where friends of the BUA had organised a benefit night. The substantial proceeds from this event were donated to the BUA Flute Band and CD fund.

On Saturday we met in Tigers Bay to support the Whitewell Defenders Flute Band charity walk for the victims of the Tsunami disaster in south-east Asia. The walk was scheduled to leave Tigers Bay and to finish at White City community centre where a BUA sponsored kids funday had been organised. The day started well with children and adults in fancy dress collecting donations from members of the public.

Unfortunately on reaching Grays Lane the whole spirit of the day was about to change. The WDFB were instructed by the police to remove their uniforms or they would be refused access to Grays Lane. Ridiculously, some women were also told to remove the teletubby costumes they were wearing. So much for community relations.

Representatives from the Protestant Interface Network attempted to diffuse the situation and held talks with senior police officers. The police were only too aware that the only other direct route back to White City was via the republican end of Whitewell Road. Left with no other alternative we headed towards the Whitewell Road. Despite further attempts to prevent our basic right to walk the Queen's highway, we managed to make it up the road and back to White City. By this time, republicans had come out onto the streets and the atmosphere was extremely hostile. Land Rovers and dozens of police officers were deployed to the area to prevent serious trouble.

With the charity walk now ended it was time to concentrate on the kids funday. Back at the White City community centre the kids were entertained by a clown, a magician, a bouncy castle, facepaints, a candyfloss machine and balloons. There was also plenty of food and drink for everyone. Alongside the kids from White City were kids from East Belfast accompanied by the East Belfast Concerned Womens Group. There were also kids from the Fountain estate in Londonderry who travelled down to Belfast on a mini-bus provided by the BUA. It was heartwarming to see the kids having such a good time and not having to worry about the usual anxieties they have to endure living in interface areas. The BUA are absolutely refute the allegations made by republicans, left wingers and the media, that people on the mainland have no concerns when it comes to the plight of our fellow British citizens in Ulster.

On Saturday night we returned to Rathcoole to attend a "Battle Of The Bands" competition. The competition was very professionally run and all the bands put on excellent performances. On Sunday we said our goodbyes to friends old and new, and travelled back to the mainland.

The event, which took place in Birmingham, was attended by many BUA members and supporters from across the UK, as well as people simply wishing to pay their respects to those killed in the 1974 IRA terrorist attacks.

During the event, a number of speeches were made by BUA members and guest speakers from Northern Ireland who had made the trip over for the memorial day. The names of the 21 people who lost their lives in the attacks were read out and a minute silence was observed to remember the victims.

To mark the anniversary, BUA members laid a floral wreath at the pub bombings official memorial in Birmingham city centre, in memory of those killed.

The event was carried out with dignity and respect for the victims by everyone in attendance. After the event had passed off peacefully, BUA members and special guests attended a social function elsewhere in the city to continue the event.

The Birmingham Memorial Day was held in place of the BUA’s Day of Action, an event held every year by the BUA to highlight the problems faced by Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland. As 2004 marked the 30th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings, it was decided that we would hold a memorial day to remember the victims of the attacks and our organisers began to plan the event earlier in the year.

But despite the good intentions and assurances by BUA organisers to both Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police, our initial request to stage the memorial event in Birmingham city centre was refused. We then faced further refusals, which we were told were due to public safety reasons, despite offering to hold the event at a number of alternative venues.

It began to seem that even though we had made clear we were holding a peaceful day of remembrance, which we guaranteed would be well supervised by BUA officials, obstacles were being put in our way to prevent the Memorial Day from taking place. However, we were not to be deterred from remembering the victims of the attacks, and our perseverance paid off when we were granted use of a suitable venue.

Despite an unnecessary police presence at the memorial event, the day passed without incident and we then made our way to another venue where the social evening had been arranged.

During the social event, a raffle and auction was held with Loyalist memorabilia and other prizes up for grabs. A further minute silence was also observed to finish off yet another very successful BUA event.

The BUA would like to thank everybody who attended the memorial event, particularly our guests who travelled over from Northern Ireland. We look forward to seeing you all again soon at the next BUA event.

This year however, there was much more to look forward to than simply meeting with friends and other residents of besieged Loyalist communities. Regular visitors to the BUA website will be aware that one of the communities with whom we have established strong links over a number of years is Whitewell in the north Belfast area.

Over the past few months we have worked alongside the residents of Whitewell to establish the community’s first convenience store for residents to use. For years, the people of Whitewell have had to make do without the basic amenities that most of us take for granted such as a grocery store and newsagent. Residents would often have to make long round trips to buy such daily necessities as bread and milk. This also meant having to travel through hostile republican areas, risking the threat of violence.

But thanks to a joint effort by the BUA , Interface Action, and the residents of Whitewell, this small Loyalist community now has a modest but fully functional convenience store of its own.

On the afternoon of Friday, February 26th, the BUA presented the residents with a commemorative plaque, officially declaring the Whitewell convenience store to be open.

Although not the most ideal or attractive type of premises, the shop, which is actually a converted shipping container, is fully stocked with everything you would find in a local mini-market. It is certainly much more convenient, and safe, for the Whitewell residents to pop along to the ‘container’ for everyday groceries, than having to make those long trips.

There are, of course, a number of reasons why the Whitewell residents are having to use and old container instead of a purpose built convenience store, just to do their daily shopping. Primarily, there is the issue of security. The chances are, should a shop be built in the Whitewell area, it would be attacked and probably destroyed by IRA thugs from surrounding republican areas in order to deprive Loyalist residents of any form of local amenities. The metal container, which can be fully closed up and secured, does at least offer a good deal of protection from bricks and incendiary devices.

There is also the issue of a total lack of government funding and investment in Loyalist areas of Northern Ireland. This ‘strategy’, part of an on-going effort by the government to run-down and eventually break-up Loyalist communities, has meant that many areas, like Whitewell, are now seriously lacking in retail and recreational facilities.

However, such a strategy has seriously under-estimated the resolve of Loyalist interface communities. The sprit and determination we have seen from Loyalist residents who simply wish to remain British, is astonishing. We wholeheartedly support the Loyalist residents of Whitewell and other besieged Loyalist communities.

Before we left Whitewell, and in keeping with our past visits to the area, we laid a floral wreath in memory of 16 year-old Thomas McDonald who was murdered by republicans in 2001. The BUA are determined that the memory of Thomas will never be forgotten by the British mainland supporters of our Loyalist compatriots in Ulster.

We would also like to take this opportunity to inform readers that within hours of the wreath being laid, republican thugs had once again desecrated our tribute and vandalised the memorial shrine in honour of young Thomas. We would like to remind the republican scum responsible for such a disgusting act that they will never deter the BUA from supporting the people of Ulster.

After a number of short visits to friends in various areas of Belfast, we headed off to the east of the city for a social evening where we met with friends, including the East Belfast Concerned Womens’ Group and residents of nearby Cluan Place, a Loyalist interface area previously visited by the BUA. During the evening, we were entertained by the excellent UVF Regimental Flute Band. The BUA would like to thank the organisers of this thoroughly enjoyable evening for inviting us to attend.

Londonderry

This year's Educational Tour also saw the BUA's first official visit to Londonderry. As part of our Interface Action initiative, we visited the Loyalist Fountain Estate, the only Protestant community left on the west bank of the River Foyle.

Surrounded by hostile republican estates, the Loyalist people of the Fountain have had to endure violence on a daily basis at the hands of Sinn Fein/IRA organised thugs. After years of sustained IRA terrorism in Londonderry, only about 200 Protestants remain in the west of the city. Our visit to the Fountain was to reassure Loyalist residents that they have much support on the British mainland and that we are fully aware of the conditions under which these brave residents are forced to live.

On our arrival, we were greeted by a number of Fountain residents and after a few introductions we were pleased to present the Fountain Estate with a cheque for £500 towards community projects. The money had been raised during a number of fund raising events on the mainland. We were then given a tour of the estate to see for ourselves what it is like to live in an area quite literally under siege.

Despite the usual security measures such as high fencing, window grilles and 'peace lines', the Fountain residents are still continually assaulted both verbally and physically, whilst housing is often damaged from bricks and incendiary devices thrown by republican youths. Although, since we have been visiting Ulster for many years, such living conditions in Loyalist areas are not unknown to us, it was quite frightening to witness the sheer isolation of the Fountain Estate, just 200 residents surrounded by thousands of hostile republicans.

After a look around the estate, we were taken on a short tour of the city centre to see some of the few places where Protestants are welcome in an increasingly republican dominated city. These included the stunning St. Columb’s Cathedral and the Memorial Hall where we were given a fascinating insight into the history of Londonderry and the Loyalist people who live there.

We also took the time to talk to some of the residents about their concerns for the future of Ulster. The undaunted spirit of the Loyalist people of the Fountain was an inspiration to all of our members. Over the years we have visited many parts of Ulster and have been shocked by the conditions under which Loyal British citizens have had to live. Yet the determination of Ulster’s Loyalists to retain their British birthright has never diminished. We were very glad to see that same spirit alive and well in the people of the Fountain.

After an enjoyable afternoon in Londonderry, we headed off to visit friends of the BUA in Ballymoney, before setting off back to Belfast for a number of events around the city including an evening of traditional Loyalist music with a ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition in Rathcoole.

As this year’s Educational Tour drew to an end, we were able to look back and declare the visit another resounding success. We were proud to have been able to assist the Whitewell community with the opening of their first shop and we also managed to extend our links throughout Ulster with our visit to the Fountain Estate.

The British Ulster Alliance will continue to support Loyalist communities in Ulster, wherever and whenever required. We look forward to being able to assist more communities in the future as well as establishing more links throughout the Province, particularly with those who face constant aggression from the enemies of the United Kingdom.

Thomas was killed after being deliberately struck by a car whilst riding his bicycle in the Whitewell area of north Belfast in September, 2001. The driver of the car, 32 year old Alison McKeown, a catholic from a staunch republican area of West Belfast, was later arrested and charged with murder.

Astonishingly however, despite her admission that she had deliberately run Thomas down, McKeown was eventually convicted of manslaughter and received just 2 years imprisonment. She will be out of prison in time for Christmas.

The family of Thomas McDonald are not so lucky. They are currently serving a life sentence - a life without their beloved, son, grandson and brother.

The British Ulster Alliance offer our full support to the faimly of Thomas McDonald in their fight for justice and equality. We shall endeavour to highlight and bring to the attention of the British public, this tragic case as well as other gross injustices inflicted on the Loyalist communities of Northern Ireland. We pledge to support and help defend British communities throughout Ulster, wherever and whenever required.

During the protest, a letter from the McDonald family and a petition were handed in to 10 Downing Street. A small group, led by Pauline and Thomas McDonald, the parents of young Thomas, including representatives from the BUA and Loyalist communities in Ulster, were allowed into Downing Street to hand over the letter and petition.

After a number of photographs were taken, the group returned to Whitehall where the main protest had remained peaceful and dignified throughout the day.

A social event was held in the evening, which was attended by an estimated 150 people, and money was raised for Loyalist community projects.

The British Ulster Alliance would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended and contributed to the Day of Protest. We would particularly like to thank the family of Thomas McDonald for their presence on the day and the representatives from Loyalist communities who also made the trip over from Ulster for the protest. We would also like to thank the Metropolitan Police for their co-operation throughout the day.