NEWS

Taylor Kirk,Ballyclare, models Frasers and Levi's at Platform 26, Victoria Square Sunday 27 September 2026 County Antrim modelling talent stepped into the spotlight at Victoria Square as three local models took to the runway for the Belfast shopping destination’s latest Autumn/Winter fashion showcase. Cooper Dudley-Fergus from Ballymoney, Meagan Green from Lisburn and Taylor Kirk from Ballyclare were among the models showcasing new-season looks at Platform 26 on Friday 25 Sep

Sunday 27 September 2026 Beef and dairy farmers in the Ballymena area taking part in Northern Ireland’s Bovine Genetics Project can now use free local drop-off points to return DNA samples collected from their cattle. The service is designed to make participation in the new genotyping scheme easier, allowing farmers to leave samples locally rather than relying on posting them directly to the laboratory. Four collection points serving the wider Ballymena and North Antrim area

Sunday 27 September 2026 Almost half of Northern Ireland households have never switched electricity supplier, despite a sharp rise in consumers shopping around for a new provider and more than 112,000 domestic customers changing supplier during 2025. New figures from the Utility Regulator show 404,004 domestic electricity customers — 47% of the market — had never moved from the incumbent supplier by the end of last year, although that proportion has fallen from 49% in 2024. T

Carla Lockhart MP Sunday 27 September 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing renewed pressure to revisit controversial inheritance tax changes affecting family farms, with DUP Agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart welcoming reports that the policy could be reconsidered ahead of the autumn Budget. The Upper Bann MP said any move by the new Prime Minister to change the reforms introduced under his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer would be welcomed by farming families, includi

Co Antrim woman Jackie Dawson (left), a patient who uses the unit at Antrim Area Hospital each week, pictured with Damien McLaughlin, nurse in charge, and Leanne Dawson. Sunday 27 September 2026 The renal unit at Antrim Area Hospital is delivering around 1,450 dialysis sessions every month, with health chiefs highlighting the significant pressures facing one of Northern Ireland’s busiest units. Members of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board heard about the demands

Speaking at Saturday’s UUP conference, Elizabeth Clarke MBE Sunday 27 September 2026 Working families should not be left to absorb the cost when childcare, housing, education, transport and other public services fail to deliver, Ulster Unionist candidate Elizabeth Clarke MBE has told her party’s annual conference. Clarke, who is standing as a second UUP candidate in South Antrim alongside MLA Steve Aiken, used her speech at Saturday’s conference to argue that pressures often

Sunday 27 September 2026 Bushmills will become a giant showcase for food, drink, music and local creativity next weekend as one of the Causeway Coast’s best-known festivals returns with a new identity and an expanded programme. The former Bushmills Salmon & Whiskey Festival is entering a new chapter as The Giant Table, running from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October and bringing chefs, producers, makers, musicians and visitors together across the village. While salmon and whiskey h

Sunday 27 September 2026 A yellow weather warning has come into force across most of Northern Ireland this morning, with heavy rain expected to bring difficult travelling conditions in places. The Met Office warning is in force from 8.30am until 2pm today, Sunday 27 September, and covers every county except Fermanagh. Up to 40mm possible in a few hours Rain is expected to become heavy at times during the morning, with some locations potentially receiving between 20mm and 40mm

Saturday 26 September 2026 The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is urging the Chancellor to pause plans to apply a new carbon charge to imported fertiliser, warning that higher costs could ultimately fall on farmers and make domestic food production more expensive. The UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is due to take effect from 1 January 2027 and will put a carbon price on certain imported goods, including fertiliser. The UFU wants the measure suspended for fertiliser

(L-R): Heloise Brown, Department For Communities, Sandra Hunter, Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Council, new tenant Ruari Morgan, Chief Executive of Rural Housing Association, Stephen Fisher, Chair of Rural Housing Association, Tom Potter, and Pamela Johnston, Northern Ireland Housing Executive Rural Unit. (All photos: Declan Roughan / Press Eye) Saturday 26 September 2026 Ten new social homes have officially opened on Rathlin Island, delivering a significant boost

Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows speaking on Saturday at the party’s annual conference Saturday 26 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has declared his party “ready to lead” as he used his first annual conference speech as leader to set out a broader plan for rebuilding unionism — and a policy programme centred on children, families, housing, infrastructure and reform of government. Addressing delegates on

Health Minister Robbie Butler Speaking at today’s Ulster Unionist Party conference Saturday 26 September 2026 Health Minister Robbie Butler has signalled that an expansion of Northern Ireland’s life-saving thrombectomy service is moving closer, telling the Ulster Unionist Party conference that the case for providing the specialist stroke treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week “has been made”. Mr Butler, who took over the Department of Health just over five weeks ago, als

Sloane, aged five-years-old, from Ballymena is delighted to land his first fish Saturday 26 September 2026 More than 50 children and their families have spent the summer discovering fishing, wildlife and the hidden world beneath local waterways through a programme run by Antrim & District Angling Association (ADAA). The Outdoor Learning and Nature Development Days combined hands-on environmental education with an introduction to angling, giving many of the young participants

Dr Janet Gray MBE is a world class athlete and four-time winner of the World Disabled Water Ski Championships Saturday 26 September 2026 The chair of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s Organ Donation Committee has highlighted the need for more cornea donors to come forward. Dr Janet Gray MBE raised the issue at a meeting of the Northern Trust board at Antrim Area Hospital on Thursday, saying cornea donations remain “very low”. ‘Wonderful gift of sight’ Dr Gray, who i

South Antrim MP Robin Swann speaking at today’s UUP annual conference Saturday 26 September 2026 Robin Swann has said the arrival of a new Prime Minister could create an opportunity to secure Westminster backing for the proposed £300 million to £500 million reopening of the Knockmore railway line through South Antrim. The South Antrim MP used his address to today’s Ulster Unionist Party annual conference to put infrastructure investment alongside changes to Troubles legislati

Friday 25 September 2026 Families across Mid and East Antrim can look forward to three days of Halloween entertainment this October, with fireworks, spooky trails, live performances, fancy dress, discos and town centre activities planned across Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus. Events will run from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October, with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council publishing an evolving programme of family-focused activities taking place throughout the borough. Th

Friday 25 September 2026 People facing lengthy waits for healthcare in Northern Ireland are set to receive more free community-based support after a £500,000 funding scheme was extended for another year. The Support While Waiting Grant Scheme will fund charities to provide practical assistance, emotional and mental health support, and help patients manage existing conditions while they remain on Health and Social Care waiting lists. £5,000 to £30,000 grants available Health M

Friday 25 September 2026 A County Antrim farmer has been fined £3,000 after a slurry spill caused a fish kill and pollution travelled approximately nine kilometres downstream, affecting two County Antrim rivers. John Stewart, 35, of Boyland Road, Ballymoney pleaded guilty at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court to a water pollution offence. Alongside the fine, he was ordered to pay a £15 Offenders Levy and agreed to repay £1,929.80 in fish kill remediation costs. Failed valve allowed

Friday 25 September 2026 A major new study involving Emergency Departments in Northern Ireland has found that the risk of death was higher as overcrowding worsened — against a backdrop where the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) says 12-hour waits here have increased 43-fold since 2015 while attendances rose by just 6%. Researchers found that for every 10% increase in Emergency Department occupancy, the risk of death from any cause within 28 days was 1% higher. The r

Friday 25 September 2026 The Parades Commission has permitted Portadown District LOL No. 1 to parade along the Garvaghy Road on Sunday — the first time since 1998 that the District has been allowed to complete the disputed section of its traditional return route. The landmark determination allows the procession to follow its notified route through Portadown, but imposes extensive restrictions including a maximum of 35 participants, an 8am start, no bands anywhere on the route