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Smoke alarms. Bins. Water. Paint brushes. Chalk. Extension leads. Light bulbs. No-one said squatting and activism went hand in hand with glamour.

This is part of the wish-list of Occupy Belfast as spelled out on their Facebook account: a list of tools, appliances and everyday essentials that the group needs to transform the old Bank of Ireland building, which it has recently occupied, into a social centre.

Floors have been swept, walls have been painted, and while the entrance is barred to prevent police entry, donations have been forthcoming.

"People have been dropping stuff in every day," Sean Matthews, 27, one of the core members told Channel 4 News. "Sometimes just one passer-by, sometimes a dozen a day - it depends."

Occupying this building holds a symbolic significance: the Bank of Ireland was rescued from collapse by Ireland's taxpayers, who picked up the bill for a bailout worth billions of euros - similar to RBS in the UK.

But more than metaphor, Occupy Belfast has aims and local objectives - namely the rising problem of homelessness and repossessions. And while this is mainly a protest, it is also being billed as an attempt to provide a solution.

It will become "a place for people who've become evicted, to be able to come and have a temporary space to stay," says another of the dozen core members.

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