NEWS

(L-R): Ellie Massey, Trainee Solicitor; Rachel Hogan BL, SEND Specialist Legal Adviser; and Kathryn Stevenson, Head of Legal Services. Wednesday 11 November 2026 Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) could benefit from stronger legal protections under revised proposals for Northern Ireland’s education system, following months of intervention by children’s rights advocates concerned that planned reforms could weaken existing safeguards. The Children’s

Wednesday 11 November 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has reaffirmed its decision to introduce blue wheelie bins across Ballymena and Carrickfergus, despite calls from Bryson Recycling to reconsider the move and claims that an alternative system could save £3 million a year. In a statement issued today (Wednesday 11 November), the council made clear that preparations are continuing to replace the existing kerbside recycling boxes with a single blue bin for household

Wednesday 11 November 2026 More than 300 schools across Northern Ireland have reported receiving a threatening email this morning, with police treating the message as a hoax and assessing the risk to the public as low. Police said checks had not found anything untoward at this stage. Enquiries are continuing into the identical message, which police said originated outside the UK. The assessment is based on enquiries and information available so far. Police also believe some s

Tuesday 10 November 2026 Families in Carrickfergus are being invited to enjoy a magical new Christmas experience as a free Twinkle Trail prepares to light up Shaftesbury Park this December, with a special launch event for younger children followed by five evenings open to the public. Organised by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, the festive attraction promises an enchanting display of lights, colour and Christmas cheer, offering families an opportunity to enjoy the season

CGI of proposed town centre housing development in Meeting House Lane, Ballymena Friday 06 November 2026 A major Ballymena town centre regeneration scheme has moved to full planning, with new documents revealing plans for social housing as 858 local households remain in housing stress. The Housing Executive says Ark Housing Association intends to progress social housing within the proposed 74-home Meeting House Mews development at Church Street and Meeting House Lane, where i

Matthew Armstrong with his much-loved dad, Dessie Tuesday 10 November 2026 “The fact of the matter is my father won't be here for ever.” For Ballymena councillor Matthew Armstrong, those words capture the deeply personal reason behind a charity fundraiser he is organising for people living with pulmonary fibrosis – an incurable lung condition that has changed life for his father, Dessie, and their family. What began as a persistent dry cough in summer 2019 led to a diagnosis

Local school teacher and children’s author, Andrew Crooks, holding his latest story book, ‘The Elf Who Found Himself’. Tuesday 10 November 2026 A Ballymena teacher has turned an important lesson about confidence and self-belief, first shared with his own children, into a new Christmas story encouraging young readers to recognise their strengths and never give up on themselves. Andrew Crooks, a maths teacher and Head of Year 9 at Dunclug College, has published his third childr

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is facing renewed calls to reconsider its decision to introduce blue recycling bins across Ballymena and Carrickfergus, with Bryson Recycling claiming an alternative collection system could deliver potential annual savings of £3 million. The charity has urged the council to follow the example of neighbouring Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, where a kerbside-sort recycling system has been expanded alongside reductions in household re

Sofia Sweetlove presents The Princess of Wales with daffodils during her service visit in Northern Ireland in 2019. (Credit: Aaron McCracken Photography) Tuesday 10 November 2026 A little girl from Ballymena who presented the Princess of Wales with daffodils picked from her family garden has shared the story behind a treasured photograph, as children’s charity Action for Children celebrates 10 years of royal patronage. Sofia Sweetlove was just three years old when she met Ca

Tuesday 10 November 2026 Families across Northern Ireland will face higher school meal prices from January, while changes to school transport, music tuition and funding for schools form part of a further £20 million savings package agreed by the Education Authority (EA). The measures will bring the Authority’s planned savings and efficiencies to approximately £50 million this financial year, yet it is still forecasting a funding shortfall of more than £100 million to maintain

Monday 09 November 2026 Patients should continue using Phone First following a pause in plans to withdraw the Northern Trust service after 27 November, the Trust has confirmed to Love Ballymena. The pause was first disclosed by interim chief executive Suzanne Pullins at the Assembly Health Committee on Thursday 5 November, where MLAs challenged whether withdrawing telephone advice before winter would increase pressure on emergency departments. In a fresh statement today, the

Santa Claus helps Mayor Thomas Gordon launch Christmas in Mid and East Antrim Monday 09 November 2026 Ballymena will begin Mid and East Antrim’s Christmas celebrations this Saturday, with an afternoon of family entertainment followed by a Santa parade and the town’s lights switch-on at 6.30pm. The event on 14 November opens a programme of five switch-on celebrations, with Larne, Carrickfergus, Whitehead and Greenisland following over the next three weeks. Quiet Time sensory s

Monday 09 November 2026 Mid and East Antrim is among the UK’s top 20 areas for the highest percentage of uninsured vehicles, according to Motor Insurers’ Bureau data cited by police as a week-long enforcement campaign begins. Operation Drive Insured runs across Northern Ireland from today, Monday 9 November, until Sunday 15 November, with officers checking that drivers have appropriate cover for their vehicles and how they use them. Police have seized 2,246 uninsured vehicles

Jailed: 42-year-old William Wylie for involvement in Ballymena riots in summer 2025 Monday 09 November 2026 A Ballymena rioter identified after removing his balaclava and by a tattoo on his hand has been sentenced to 28 months, with half to be served in custody. William Wylie, 42, was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court on Friday 6 November for the offence of riot. He will serve 14 months in custody and a further 14 months on licence. He was involved in disorder at Harryville Bri

Monday 09 November 2026 Patients struggling to get a GP appointment have been promised better access under a newly agreed Northern Ireland contract, with an additional £40 million over two years linked to measurable improvements in access and primary care activity. Health Minister Robbie Butler said the agreement must deliver more appointments and services. GP representatives have also committed to ending their current collective action, according to the Minister. However, th

Sunday 8 November 2026 Motorists across Northern Ireland are being warned of potentially hazardous driving conditions overnight and during Monday morning's commute, with dense fog expected to reduce visibility to less than 100 metres in some areas. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning covering all six counties, with fog patches developing overnight and potentially causing disruption to travel as people make their way to work and school on Monday 9 November. The

Sunday 8 November 2026 Irish writing has taken centre stage at Waterstone’s Ballymena this week, with Heather Aimee O’Neill’s The Irish Goodbye claiming the number one spot in the store’s latest Top 10 bestseller chart. The novel moves ahead of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Splintered Harmony, which takes second place, while Irish athlete Ciara Mageean’s My Greatest Race completes the top three. It is a particularly strong week for Irish authors, with Philip Taylor, Claire Keegan

Sunday 08 November 2026 Midwives at Antrim Hospital have reported missing breaks, some inductions and caesarean sections have been delayed, and gynaecology work has been reduced to free consultant time for urgent antenatal assessment, Northern Trust leaders have told MLAs. The Trust disclosed that it had faced 18 permanent midwifery vacancies — around 10% of posts — alongside significant sickness absence and maternity leave. Recruitment is intended to fill those permanent vac

Sunday 08 November 2026 A total of 159 patients medically fit for discharge remained in Antrim and Causeway hospital beds on Thursday morning, while 58 people in Antrim’s emergency department were waiting for a bed, Northern Trust leaders told MLAs. Patients were waiting for care home places, rehabilitation or support to return home — exposing how shortages beyond hospital wards are restricting the beds available to those needing admission. Yet a proposed expansion of Hospita

Sunday 8 November 2026 People aged 59 in Northern Ireland are now being invited for bowel cancer screening for the first time, marking the beginning of a major expansion of a programme designed to detect cancer earlier and save lives. The change, which took effect on 2 November, is the first stage of a five-year rollout that will gradually lower the starting age for screening from 60 to 50 by the end of March 2031. The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone who receive