NEWS

North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham during his recent visit to Northern Ireland. North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland has welcomed confirmation that 55 new electric buses will be built in Ballymena for Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, describing the investment as a major vote of confidence in Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector and workforce. The buses will be produced by Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus, with the order forming part of

Northern Ireland’s rapidly expanding sports-leisure scene has gained another boost with the opening of a new padel facility in Ballymoney, as the world’s fastest-growing racket sport continues to surge in popularity. Let’s Go Padel officially opened its latest venue to the public on Saturday, 7 March, marking the company’s seventh location across Northern Ireland and a further step in its strategy to bring the rapidly growing sport to more communities. The Ballymoney site joi

CGI of proposed new Home Bargains store in Antrim Residents are being invited to have their say on plans for a new Home Bargains store in Antrim, as a formal community consultation process gets underway ahead of a planning application. Developers behind the proposal have launched a Pre-Application Community Consultation (PACC) on plans to redevelop the former Townparks car showroom site on Ballymena Road, just southeast of the Springfarm Roundabout. The consultation allows me

Galgorm Collection has announced a new sponsorship partnership with the Antrim Camogie Minor squad. Sean Kelly, Antrim Camogie Public Relations Officer is pictured with Tiarnán O’Neill, Chief Financial Officer at Galgorm Collection and some members of the Antrim Camogie Minor squad.   A new partnership between Galgorm Collection and the Antrim Camogie Minor squad is set to provide a significant boost for the county’s rising players as they prepare for the season ahead. The h

Optical advisor Carol-Ann Kirkpatrick with 23-year-old daughter Rachel. Mother’s Day will be extra special at Asda Antrim this year, where four mums will celebrate the occasion alongside their own children who work as colleagues in the store. From quick chats between shifts to shared laughter on the shop floor, the families say working together brings a unique bond – even if it sometimes means seeing a little too much of each other. Among them is optical advisor Carol-Ann Kir

(L-R) Christian Reynolds, Managing Director of Wrightbus; Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; John McLeister, Wrightbus Sales Managing Director for UK and Ireland Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has confirmed a new order for 55 electric buses from Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus, reinforcing confidence in UK manufacturing and strengthening the region’s growing zero-emission transport network. The announcement came during a visit to the company’s headquarters and

Pictured: William Houston sadly died falling an incident at a County Antrim quarry. A quarry company has been fined £110,000 after a subcontractor died when a large stone fell from height at a County Antrim site. FP McCann Limited was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Friday (13 March) after pleading guilty to a single health and safety offence following the death of subcontractor William Houston. The prosecution followed an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive f

Shoppers in Belfast will now find a splash of pink – and plenty of cake – waiting for them at CastleCourt after popular bakery brand Dougies Goodies officially opened a new pop-up store in the shopping centre today (13 March 2026). Located in the busy CastleCourt food court, the vibrant new space offers customers a chance to grab the bakery’s much-loved cakes, bakes and sweet treats while taking a break from browsing the shops. The pop-up is stocked with a range of Dougies Go

Aaron Carey, Preservoir; Peter Gilleece, Vikela; Gabi Burnside; Entrepreneur Acceleration Manager, Ulster Bank; Sarah McKegney, Percy & Pop and Cormac Venney, HIP Psychology. A Loughguile entrepreneur is within touching distance of a £50,000 investment after securing a place in the final of the Ulster Bank Accelerator Pitch 2026. Aaron Carey, founder of fintech cash-management platform Preservoir , impressed judges at a highly competitive semi-final this week, earning a covet

CGI image of the proposed new Lidl store at St Patrick’s Link Road / Broughshane Road, Ballymena Why would a global supermarket chain choose a specific piece of land in Ballymena for what could become one of its largest stores in Northern Ireland? Planning documents submitted for the proposed Lidl development at St Patrick’s Link Road provide a detailed answer — pointing to soaring local demand, strategic transport links and a wider £500 million expansion across Northern Irel

Managing director William John O’Donnell at WJ O’Donnell & Sons, and Elaine Brannigan from Cruse Bereavement Support Northern Ireland A special Christmas remembrance evening in Ballymena has raised £2,510 for Cruse Bereavement Support Northern Ireland, thanks to the generosity of local residents and businesses. The “True Meaning of Christmas – Special Community Gathering Night”, hosted by WJ O’Donnell & Sons Funeral Directors, took place on Sunday 7th December at the family-r

Percy Pig celebrates M&S Food Outlet launching at Applegreen Ballymena Shoppers in Ballymena can now pick up their favourite Marks & Spencer treats on the go after a new M&S Food outlet opened today at the town’s Applegreen site. The new store introduces the popular “shop within a shop” concept to Ballymena, bringing more than 400 M&S Food products to the location and marking the fourth partnership site between M&S and Applegreen in Northern Ireland. From fresh fruit and sala

Pictured are Claudia Jones, Northern Ireland Hospice Corporate Relations Manager, with Menarysstaff members Melissa Gormley, Marketing Manager, Aileen Murnion, Area Manager, and Linda Thompson, Store Manager at Menarys Lisburn. A well-known Northern Ireland department store group has launched a new year-long partnership aimed at supporting specialist hospice care for families across the region. Menarys has named Northern Ireland Hospice as its Charity of the Year for 2026, wi

Gary Hegarty, owner of Mindful Gardens reflects on the benefits of changing his career and returning to education by studying Horticulture at CAFRE Greenmount Campus.  After nearly two decades designing sports pages for a national newspaper, Gary Hegarty found himself facing a turning point — one shaped by rapid technological change and a growing desire to work closer to the natural world. Today, he runs his own garden design business, Mindful Gardens. But the path from newsr

Shutters down: The changing face of Ballymena town centre. Church Street, Ballymena. Business leaders across Mid and East Antrim have issued a stark warning to councillors: town centres are entering a period of accelerating decline — and without urgent intervention the damage could become irreversible. In coordinated correspondence sent directly by email to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s elected representatives, the chairs of Larne Business Forum and Ballymena Business

Businesses across Northern Ireland are being urged to prepare for sweeping changes to the way food, animals and plants move between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the European Union, as negotiations continue on a new UK-EU trade agreement designed to cut red tape and speed up trade. The UK Government says the proposed Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement could make agrifood trade “easier, cheaper and quicker”, potentially transforming supply chains for farmers, r

Some of the team of Martin & Hamilton Construction at their Ballymena head office handing over the cheque to Jessica Steele from Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice A Ballymena construction company has helped deliver a significant boost for families facing some of life’s toughest challenges after raising £15,000 for Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice. Martin & Hamilton Construction presented the cheque last week after naming Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice as its Charit

Galgorm Collection is donating funding to Braidwater Seniors to enable them to knit hats and blankets for babies in Antrim Area Hospital. Tara Moore, third from left, Associate Director of Spa Operations at Galgorm Collection and Julie Elliott, nurse practitioner at Antrim Area Hospital are pictured with members of Braidwater Seniors .      A group of Ballymena knitters are preparing to spend the coming months crafting tiny hats and blankets for newborn babies in hospital — a

The Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough, County Antrim Less than a year after reopening following a major redevelopment, Carnlough’s Harbourview Hotel has been named the best place to stay in Northern Ireland in the prestigious Best Places to Stay 2026 guide by The Times and The Sunday Times . The recognition places the seafront hotel firmly among the UK’s standout hospitality destinations, with judges praising what they described as Ireland’s first whisky hotel for its “live mus

Pictured (L-R) at the launch of Lidl Northern Ireland’s landmark fibre commitment are Elaine O’Connor, Head of Sustainability at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, and Registered Dietician Orla Walsh. A major supermarket initiative aimed at tackling what experts describe as a growing “fibre crisis” has been announced by Lidl Northern Ireland, with the retailer pledging to significantly increase the amount of fibre in the food it sells over the next five years. The supermarket