A snapshot of Belfast’s youth

"Belfast has been my saviour over the years”, remarks 24-year-old photographer Craig Dodds, who connects the positivity amongst young people in the city with the capital’s skate, music and art scenes. “I don’t think I’d still be skating if it wasn’t for that city”, he adds. Originally from Banbridge (a 30-minute drive from Belfast) the city is Dodd’s adopted home.

"As most people have probably heard, the Troubles (occured when) the city was engulfed in Sectarian violence for the guts of about 30 years,” he reflects, referring to the bombing, assassinations and violence that served as a dark backdrop for the city from the 1970s until the late 90s. "It really stopped anything positive happening in Belfast for a long time. Thankfully that’s all in the past and the city is finally beginning to grow again, mostly through art and music and, even recently, 'extreme sports’, if you want to call it that. It’s still very much in the early stages but you can see happening more and more.

"I don’t want to sound like I’m putting the young people down but I’ve definitely seen my fair share of dark moments. From seeing them sniffing glue to smoking legal highs, I feel that’s all kind of died down a bit over the years, though. The skatepark has definitely been a sanctuary to a lot of young people... whether they are on a skateboard, BMX, scooter, anything is better than that lifestyle."

See more from Dodds here