NEWS

CAFRE’s online and short courses offers the best of both worlds to develop your knowledge and skills For people working in the equine industry, balancing education with employment, family commitments and the demands of horse care can be a significant challenge. CAFRE is aiming to bridge that gap with a range of flexible online and blended-learning equine courses designed to fit around busy lives. The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) is encouraging pro

A motorist escaped unharmed after a group of masked men allegedly attempted to drag him from his vehicle during a brazen daylight incident in Cookstown. Police have launched an investigation following what detectives are treating as an attempted hijacking on the East Circular Road on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred between 2.10pm and 2.15pm on Wednesday, 10 June, when the driver was travelling along the road and noticed a number of males dressed in dark clothing, w

Alcohol-related deaths in Northern Ireland remain at concerning levels, with health officials and addiction specialists warning that many people may be drinking more than they realise — particularly at home. As Northern Ireland Alcohol Awareness Week gets underway on Monday, 15 June, the Public Health Agency (PHA), community pharmacy teams and alcohol support organisations are urging people to take a closer look at their drinking habits and consider making small changes that

The burnt out vehicle on Sunday morning A car was completely destroyed after a deliberate fire in a residential area of Ballymena in the early hours of Sunday morning, prompting a police appeal for information. The incident happened in the Shetlands Gardens area of Ballykeel II shortly after 3.10am on Sunday, June 14, when emergency services were called to reports of a vehicle on fire. Police officers attended the scene alongside crews from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescu

Bannside Alderman Stewart McDonald with NIFRS Ballymena Station Commander Alan Barr during a visit to Ahoghill bonfire site Young people involved in building Ahoghill’s annual bonfire have received a direct fire safety briefing from Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), in a move aimed at reducing risks ahead of the summer bonfire season. TUV Bannside Alderman Stewart McDonald welcomed NIFRS Ballymena Station Commander Alan Barr to the village bonfire site this we

Pictured (L-R) is Kinecx Energy’s Chair of Corporate Social Responsibilities Committee Lisa McCarthy, Kinecx Energy CEO Niall Martindale, and Sorcha Mathews, Autism NI’s Corporate Fundraising Manager. A football tournament bringing together some of Northern Ireland’s biggest utilities and infrastructure organisations has raised £5,300 for Autism NI while shining a spotlight on the power of community fundraising in Ballymena. Hosted by Kinecx Energy at Ballymena Showgrounds, t

Northern Ireland’s main agri-food science organisation is facing growing pressure to redefine its future after an independent review concluded the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) is being “pulled in three directions”, lacks a clear strategic identity and may ultimately require significant structural reform. The wide-ranging review, commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), examined AFBI’s effectiveness, governance, accoun

Inset: Ulster Unionist Party Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, hospitality sector and town centres risk suffering unnecessary economic damage if a distorted image of the region continues to dominate headlines following recent disorder, according to Ulster Unionist Party Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows. In a strongly-worded statement, Mr Burrows said the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie and the violence that followed had ri

Pictured (L-R), Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation Cheryl Robinson, Connie Taylor who spoke at the Gift of Life event about her organ transplant, Stacey McKnight (AAH Theatres Ward Manager) Nisa Francis, Lead Nurse Northern Ireland Organ Donation Services Team, Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation Jackie Heasley, Dr Janet Gray MBE, Chair of the Northern Trust’s Organ Donation Committee and Dr Keith Oakes, Consultant Anaesthetist and Intensivist. An 18-year-old from Carrickfer

Joan Whittaker and Elizabeth Connor at the Home and Garden Show Ireland Visitors turned out in force as Home and Garden Show Ireland 2026 opened its gates at Antrim Castle Gardens on Friday, marking the start of a packed weekend celebrating gardening, food, home living and outdoor inspiration. The event, formerly known as Garden Show Ireland, has returned this year with a significantly expanded format and one major improvement that quickly proved its worth on opening day — a

Education Minister Paul Givan The Education Minister has launched a major new phase of Northern Ireland’s curriculum reform programme, announcing plans to create bespoke curriculum frameworks for Special Schools and Irish-medium education after a review found the current curriculum is not adequately meeting the needs of many pupils. The move marks a significant shift in how education is delivered to thousands of children and young people, with dedicated working groups set to

Ballymena LNPT Inspector Jock McToal For more than two decades, Inspector Jock McToal has been a familiar and trusted figure across Ballymena and the wider district. Now, his dedication to community policing has been recognised at the highest level after being awarded the King’s Police Medal (KPM) in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026. The honour places the Ballymena Local Neighbourhood Policing Team (LNPT) inspector among a select group of police officers and staff recogn

Views over Tullygarley bridge looking down the River Braid to the application site Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee has approved an outline application for 28 dwellings at Dunluce Park, Ballymena, despite 53 letters of objection and a petition containing almost 1,000 signatures. The application was given the go-ahead at a meeting of the committee in The Braid, Ballymena, on Thursday morning. A planning officer told the committee the outline application

Jailed: Neil Jackson A Belfast man who subjected three young children to years of sexual and physical abuse has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of a catalogue of offences described by police as “predatory, manipulative and entirely depraved”. Neil Jackson, 44, was sentenced today to 20 years’ imprisonment, comprising 10 years in custody followed by 10 years on licence, for a series of offences committed against three victims over a prolonged period. The court h

The Moravian Church in Gracehill, Ballymena A major new cross-border initiative centred on Gracehill World Heritage Site is set to connect 14 UNESCO-designated locations across the island of Ireland, creating new opportunities for education, community engagement, tourism and peacebuilding while placing the historic Ballymena village at the heart of an ambitious all-Ireland heritage network. The project, known as UNESCO Together, has secured €93,000 through the PEACEPLUS Chang

Ballymena Future leaders take flight with Belfast City Airport’s IGNITE Youth Leadership Programme (pictured with Kieran Devlin, Operations and Facilities Director of Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association, Jenna Louise Dowds, and Michelle Hatfield Chief People and Marketing Officer at Belfast City Airport) A student from Ballymena is among 31 young people to graduate from a leadership programme designed to help teenagers build confidence, develop life skills and p

A significant reduction in disorder was recorded across Northern Ireland on Thursday night, with police reporting a much calmer situation after several days of unrest, but senior officers have warned that an extensive policing operation will remain in place over the weekend. The update from the PSNI comes after a week of disturbances that have led to 19 arrests, multiple criminal investigations and a series of court appearances, with detectives continuing efforts to identify

Thousands of teenagers and young adults across Northern Ireland are set to be offered protection against a potentially life-threatening disease this summer, after the Health Minister announced a new vaccination programme targeting those considered most at risk of Meningococcal B (MenB). The one-off programme, expected to begin between mid and late July, follows multiple cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) identified in South East England earlier this year and aims t

Senior figures from the Ulster Unionist Party have met with the Secretary of State to press a series of urgent concerns arising from this week’s attack on Stephen Ogilvie in North Belfast and the disorder that has followed across Northern Ireland. The meeting took place on Thursday between Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA, North Antrim MP Robin Swann and South Antrim MLA Dr Steve Aiken OBE, and Secretary of State Hillary Benn. It comes amid heightened tensions fol

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Dawn Huggins with Coleraine FC Captain Lyndon Kane and Coleraine Football Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Dale Pryde-MacDonald, Johnny Fielding, Chairman of Coleraine Connect, Alderman Mark Fielding and Councillor Tanya Elder. Coleraine FC’s Irish Cup-winning season will be celebrated with a major family-friendly event in the heart of the town next month, giving supporters the chance to honour the players, staff and community th