NEWS

McKillen’s on Church Street, Ballymena launches its closing down sale on Wednesday morning as customers queue up looking for a bargain and taking one last opportunity to visit the much-loved local business Ballymena BID has said it is “deeply saddened” by news regarding McKillen’s of Ballymena, as the long-established Church Street retailer reaches its 100th year at the heart of the town centre. The Business Improvement District has urged the community to support the business

Elected members of the DUP party group on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Party says below-inflation rise safeguards services and delivers long-term investment The DUP has defended its decision to vote in favour of a 2.95% rates increase at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, arguing the move was necessary to protect frontline services while enabling significant long-term investment across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne. The DUP party group includes elected members R

21-year-old Chloe Mitchell who was murdered in June 2023 in Ballymena North Antrim elected representatives have called on the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) to grant a dispensation in its ongoing strike action to allow the trial of the individual charged with the murder of Chloe Mitchell to proceed as planned. The appeal comes as a deadline to prevent further delays in the Chloe Mitchell trial is fast approaching. Six representatives — Sian Mullholland MLA, Timothy Gaston MLA

The Farmers’ Choir Northern Ireland Committee Members The Farmers’ Choir Northern Ireland has marked a year of continued growth, strong community engagement and musical success at its fourth Annual General Meeting, held recently at Ballymena Academy. Members gathered to reflect on a busy and productive year for the choir, which has continued to expand its audience reach while strengthening its role as a social and cultural outlet for people from rural and farming backgrounds

Elected members of the TUV party group serving on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) group on Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has confirmed it opposed the district rate increase approved at Monday night’s council meeting, arguing that greater steps could and should have been taken to reduce the financial burden on households and businesses across the borough. The TUV group includes Councillor Matthew Armstrong (Ballymena), Councillo

(L-R) Orlaith McLoughlin, Paul McHenry (Acting Director of CAFRE), Maynard Mawhinney (Chair of the CAFRE College Advisory Group), Cathal O’Donnell, Lawrence Whyte and Stephen Black. Stephen Black, Principal of Ballymena Academy , has been appointed to the CAFRE College Advisory Group, as the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed four new members to the strategic body supporting agri-food and rural education in Northern Ireland. The appoin

Sinn Féin councillor in Ballymena, Bréanainn Lyness A Sinn Féin councillor in Ballymena has abstained from voting on a 2.95 per cent rates increase, breaking with party colleagues who supported the rise at Monday night’s rates-setting meeting. Bréanainn Lyness said he could not “in good conscience” back the increase, citing the continued decline of Ballymena town centre and the impact rising costs are having on local businesses and traders. During last night’s vote DUP, All

Galgorm Collection has donated funds to Kells and Connor Primary School to support the purchase of new iPads. Some of the pupils are pictured alongside Principal, Mr Finlay, Senior Teacher and ICT Lead, Mrs Richmond and Victoria Brown, Director of Marketing at Galgorm Collection.  Hospitality group Galgorm Collection has donated £1,000 to Kells and Connor Primary School , located just outside Ballymena, to support the purchase of new iPads for pupils, helping to strengthen d

Mid and East Antrim’s Ulster Unionist Party Group on Council The Mid and East Antrim Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Group has voted against the Council’s decision to increase domestic and non-domestic district rates by 2.95 per cent. The vote was taken at a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council on Monday 9 February, when councillors approved the rates increase for the coming financial year. The group includes (in alphabetical order), Councillor Alan Barr (Braid), Counc

Flory Dragomir, Food and Beverages Assistant at Galgorm Resort, part of Galgorm Collection, has been awarded a prestigious AA Courtesy and Care Award. A food and beverages assistant at the five-star Galgorm Resort in County Antrim has been recognised with a prestigious AA Courtesy and Care Award after impressing inspectors during a mystery overnight hotel inspection. Flory Dragomir, who works within Galgorm Resort’s food and beverages team , received the national award follow

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has agreed a 2.95 per cent district rates increase for the 2026/27 financial year, following a closely contested vote at a special meeting held on Monday 9 February. The increase was approved by 19 votes in favour, 17 against, with one abstention, highlighting divisions among elected members over the scale of the rise and how funding is allocated within the council’s capital programme. Love Ballymena understands that the initial figure prop

Mid and East Antrim Council chamber Mid and East Antrim Borough Council will hold a special meeting this evening (Monday, 9 February) to strike the domestic and non-domestic rate for the 2026/27 financial year. For a second consecutive year, the local authority is expected to strike a single rate for households and businesses. Last-minute negotiations are likely to continue behind closed doors at The Braid in Ballymena, following a series of rates workshops held in recent mon

North Antrim MP Jim Allister KC The closure of McKillen’s on Church Street has been described as a devastating blow to Ballymena town centre, with North Antrim MP Jim Allister KC warning that rising overheads and business rates are “strangling” local retailers and accelerating the decline of the high street. In a strongly worded statement, Mr Allister said the loss of the century-old family business, coming shortly after the closure of Wyse Byse, marked a critical moment fo

McKillen’s on Church Street, Ballymena McKillen’s , the much-loved family-run department store that has stood at the heart of Ballymena town centre for a century, has announced it will close after 100 years of trading, bringing an era to an end on Church Street. Established by the McKillen family in 1926, the business has served generations of customers from across Ballymena and far beyond — from fitting children with their first pair of shoes to ensuring elderly customers re

Eileen Russell, professional play therapist and founder of WayMaker Child Therapy, is pictured as the Ballymena-based child play therapy organisation unveils a therapeutic initiative combining digital storytelling and animation, practical support resources and sensory tools to support children’s emotional wellbeing. A Ballymena-based child play therapy organisation has launched a new therapeutic initiative, Little Bear, aimed at helping children navigate complex emotions thro

Fundraising events help fund one full day of life-saving air ambulance service Craigs Vintage & Classic Club has raised £8,320 for Air Ambulance NI through a series of fundraising events held across 2025, generating enough money to fund one full day of the life-saving helicopter emergency medical service operating across Northern Ireland. The funds were raised through a corn cutting day in August and a tractor run in November, with club members visiting the charity’s airbase

Des McKeown and other members of Back in the Game Ballymena, welcomes Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford. Back in the Game Ballymena welcomed a special guest to their annual presentation morning this week, as the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Councillor Jackson Minford, attended the event during the group’s weekly football session. The presentation morning took place on Thursday morning, February 5, bringing together players and supporter

Rescue dog Tyson, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was involved in a collision with a vehicle A senior rescue dog named Tyson is facing the loss of a leg after being struck by a car while straying in Ballymena, prompting an urgent fundraising appeal by local not-for-profit rescue The Half Way Dog House to cover his life-saving veterinary treatment. Tyson, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is currently being held in a local pound and is expected to be released to The Half Way Dog Ho

Waterstone’s Ballymena has unveiled its latest Top 10 bestselling books, with contemporary literary fiction, gripping thrillers and a hugely popular romance title dominating readers’ choices this week. The list highlights a broad range of tastes, from Anne Tyler’s quietly observant storytelling to Freida McFadden’s addictive psychological suspense, alongside strong demand for Irish fiction and prize-winning literary works. This week’s Top 10 bestselling books 1. Three Days in

Two Ballymena schools have secured funding for new synthetic sports pitches following successful applications to the Department of Education, a move welcomed by North Antrim DUP MLA Paul Frew as a significant boost to sports provision in local schools. Cambridge House Grammar School and Slemish College have both been approved for new facilities under Department of Education capital programmes, aimed at strengthening physical education, sport and wider wellbeing as part of t