NEWS

Pictured with Mayor of Mid & East Antrim Borough, Councillor Jackson Minford are local musicians Rodney Beggs and ‘Lacey’. Ballymena is preparing to celebrate a landmark moment in its history as the town marks 400 years since the foundations of the modern settlement were established. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has now unveiled a major programme of Ballymena 400 events for 2026, with organisers promising a year of community celebration, local history, family entertain

Margarette O’Donnell, a peer trainer with The Recovery College, has described how her own mental health journey inspired her to help others. For years, Margarette O’Donnell felt she was “losing the battle day by day” with her mental health — hiding her struggles behind a brave face while privately feeling hopeless about the future. Now, during Mental Health Awareness Week, the Northern Trust Recovery College peer trainer is sharing her deeply personal story in the hope it enc

Two young Ballymena footballers are preparing to take on some of the biggest names in world youth football after being selected for the 2026 County Antrim SuperCupNI squad ahead of this summer’s tournament. Charlie O’Neill and Jack Orr have both secured places in the County Antrim Boys Junior panel, giving local football fans another strong Ballymena connection to one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious sporting events. The announcement comes as organisers confirmed broadb

Police are appealing for information after a series of reported thefts targeting supermarkets in Ballymena, Newry and Limavady over the course of two days last week. The incidents, which involved healthcare products and toiletries being stolen from commercial premises, are now being investigated by the PSNI amid suspicions the thefts may be connected. The Ballymena incident took place at a supermarket in the Larne Link Road area shortly before midday on Tuesday, May 5, while

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford blows the starting whistle as young runners set off for the junior parkrun in The People's Park, Ballymena. More than 100 children are now turning out every week for Ballymena’s junior parkrun, with the Sunday morning event rapidly becoming one of the town’s most popular new family activities. Held in The People’s Park every Sunday at 9.30am, the free 2K run for children aged four to 14 has created a fresh buzz around t

Thousands of pounds are expected to be raised for Alzheimer’s Society this summer as Clarke prepares to bring back its hugely popular Charity Car Show to Ballymena — with organisers promising the biggest and most ambitious event yet. Now entering its third year, the growing community event has become one of the standout local motoring showcases in the area, attracting families, car enthusiasts and supporters from across Northern Ireland. This year’s show will take place on Sa

A motorcyclist remains in a serious condition in hospital following a collision involving a van on one of Ballymena’s busiest commuter routes on Saturday afternoon. Police have appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage after the serious road traffic collision on the Lisnevenagh Road near the junction with Woodgreen Road. The crash happened at around 12.20pm on Saturday, 9 May, on the north-bound carriageway of the road. Emergency services, including officers from the Police

AIB Branch Manager Peter Hughes pictured with RNLI staff and volunteer crew at the 2026 AIB Community Fund launch Communities across Ballymena and Northern Ireland are being urged to nominate local charities for support after AIB officially launched the fifth year of its Community €1 Million Fund — with additional funding added this year to mark the bank’s 60th anniversary. The initiative, which has already supported nearly 300 charities across the island of Ireland since 202

Waterstone’s Ballymena has unveiled another packed weekly update, with bestselling fiction, welcoming community book clubs and a wave of notable new releases helping to keep readers engaged this spring. This week’s Top 10 reflects a broad mix of tastes among Ballymena readers, with everything from children’s favourites and sci-fi adventures to literary fiction and historical drama featuring strongly. Top 10 this week (Saturday 9 May 2026) A varied mix of bestselling fiction a

Ballymena United emerged among the standout winners as more than 500 young footballers and over 2,000 spectators packed into Cookstown for a dramatic NIYFA Subway Cup Finals Day celebrating the very best of youth football across Northern Ireland. The Ballymena club secured silverware in both the Boys’ and Girls’ competitions, with the Boys’ Under-12 side lifting the Cup title after an extra-time victory over Glenavon, while Ballymena United’s girls edged a tense penalty shoot

Launching the Mid and East Antrim Construction and Scaffolding Academy are: (l-r) Amanda Crossen, Project Manager at CITBNI); Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford; Charlene Earley from Workforce Training) and Steven Douglas of 7 Towers Scaffolding. A new Construction and Scaffolding Academy aimed at helping local people into employment has opened for applications across Mid and East Antrim, offering participants industry-recognised qualifications, practic

Donnelly Group has expanded its electric vehicle and hybrid offering with the opening of two new dedicated BYD showrooms in Ballymena and Dungannon. (L-R: Malcolm Kerr, Dave Sheeran, Paul Compton, Emma Donnelly and Terence Donnelly) Northern Ireland’s largest independently owned vehicle retailer, Donnelly Group, has expanded its electric and hybrid vehicle offering with the opening of two new dedicated BYD showrooms in Ballymena and Dungannon. The move marks a significant inv

Police in Ballymena are appealing for information after tools were stolen from a trailer outside a home in the Ashbourne Manor area on Wednesday morning. The theft was reported to have happened shortly after 11am on Wednesday 7 May, with officers now investigating the incident and seeking witnesses or footage from the area. A white Vauxhall Grandland or Vauxhall Frontera was seen in the vicinity at the time of the theft before leaving in the direction of the Woodbourne Road.

Aerial visual of proposed IFA national football centre outside Ballymena A planning application has been lodged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the development of a proposed national football centre outside Ballymena. The proposal includes six football pitches — five outdoor and one indoor — with three hybrid surfaces and three artificial surfaces. One pitch is earmarked as a community pitch, while three pitches would be floodlit. The plans also include three spe

Ballymena Show is set to return later this month with organisers promising a major refresh aimed at broadening the appeal of one of the area’s best-known agricultural events. The annual show will take place on Saturday 30 May 2026 at Ballymena Livestock Market, bringing together farming traditions, local food, family entertainment, and new attractions under a renewed “Farming, Food and Family” vision. Gates will open at 9:00am, with showing beginning from 10:00am, as visitors

A North Antrim MLA has highlighted the vital role of an early years service in Ballymena after seeing first-hand how it is supporting young children and families across the area. Visit shines light on frontline support for families Jon Burrows visited Ballymena and Little Steps Antrim SureStart on the Doury Road, where he met staff, parents and children and observed a range of programmes currently being delivered on the ground. The service, operated by Action for Children, wo

Mayor Jackson Minford is pictured with Ballymena businessmen (L-R) William Calderwood of Arbuckle and Calderwood; Richard McLaughlin of Wyse Byse; James McNeill of James McNeill Hardware; Eugene Diamond of Diamonds Newsagents; and Thomas McKillen of McKillens. Retailers whose combined service spans more than three centuries have been recognised at a special mayoral reception celebrating Ballymena’s rich trading history. Honouring decades of local service The event, held at Th

Students from Sead the Season at Cullybackey College celebrating being named ‘Company of the Year’ at the annual Young Enterprise NI Awards held in Belfast City Hall. Students from Cullybackey College have secured one of Northern Ireland’s top young enterprise honours after their student-run business was crowned ‘Company of the Year’ at a major awards ceremony in Belfast. The team behind Seed the Season impressed judges with a sustainability-focused business supplying seasona

Young Ballymena woman Ellen Macdonald running the London Marathon A young woman from Ballymena has turned personal heartbreak into powerful purpose, completing the London Marathon in memory of her father while raising thousands of pounds for charity. Ellen Macdonald, a former pupil of Ballymena Academy, crossed the finish line on 26 April in honour of her dad, Ewan Macdonald, and her ongoing efforts have now helped raise nearly £8,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK. Running through

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, councillor Jackson Minford cuts the ribbon at the newly developed Gibson Paving centre in Portglenone, with the Gibson family. A major £250,000 investment is set to reshape how homeowners across Northern Ireland plan their outdoor spaces, as Gibson Paving opens the doors to a newly redeveloped paving and outdoor living centre in Portglenone. The relaunch marks a significant moment for the long-established family business, blending more than four