NEWS

(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

Anna Short secured a scholarship through CAFRE’s Industry Support Programme in conjunction with Pilgrim’s Europe. A paid placement year through the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) Industry Support Programme has helped a Greenmount Campus student gain hands-on experience across the poultry sector and clarify her future career ambitions. Anna Short, a BSc (Hons) Sustainable Agriculture student at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus , secured a scholarship placem

More than 70,000 people across the Northern Trust area have already downloaded the My Care app, with health officials now encouraging more patients to sign up to access key parts of their medical records online. The My Care patient portal allows patients to securely view specific information from their health records, including medications, appointments and some test results, using their smartphone or tablet. The app is available on both iOS and Android devices and is design

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

Petrol prices in Northern Ireland have dropped to their lowest level in almost five years, providing welcome relief for motorists as the average cost of fuel at forecourt pumps continues to fall, according to the Consumer Council. Following a period of relative stability over the past 12 months, the average price of petrol has now fallen to 124.2 pence per litre, the lowest level recorded since May 2021. Diesel prices, meanwhile, remain unchanged at an average of 131.9 pence

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

Mossley Mill, County Antrim Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has agreed one of the lowest district rate increases in Northern Ireland, striking a 2.99% rise for the 2026/27 financial year at a Special Council Meeting held on Monday 9 February. The modest increase, which is lower than the current rate of inflation, will apply across the borough and equates to an additional £14.67 per year, or 28 pence per week, for an average household. One of the lowest rates increase

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

Pictured: Colin Magee, Non-domestic Consumer Protection Manager at the Utility Regulator New electricity and gas licence rules come into force to improve transparency, fairness and switching rights The Utility Regulator has introduced new licence measures to strengthen protections for Northern Ireland’s small business electricity and gas consumers, with changes taking effect from 4 February 2026, aimed at improving transparency, fairness and engagement in the non-domestic ene

A powerful new BBC documentary, Caitlin Hanna: Trafficked In Belfast , is shedding light on the short life and tragic death of a young Belfast woman, and the three-year police investigation that uncovered a hidden criminal underworld operating in Northern Ireland. The hour-long film examines how Caitlin Hanna, who was just 21 years old, was exploited by a criminal enterprise before dying from a drug overdose in 2022 — a reality her family and friends say they were completely

The Utility Regulator has confirmed that a formal review of regulated gas tariffs in Northern Ireland is now under way, covering domestic and small business customers supplied by SSE Airtricity Gas Supply and Firmus Energy , while electricity prices for Power NI customers remain under ongoing monitoring. The review applies to customers in the Greater Belfast and West gas areas, supplied by SSE Airtricity Gas Supply, and the Ten Towns area, supplied by Firmus Energy. The regu

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