NEWS

Prison staff at Hydebank Wood College have teamed up with Start 360 and Ardoyne Youth Club in a new pilot project supporting prisoners leaving prison by providing each one with a ‘You Matter’ pack of toiletries including toothpaste, shower gel and antiperspirant as well as water and cuppa soup. Pictured are Grainne Griffith, Start 360, Seaneen Farrelly, Hydebank Wood Prisoner Development Unit Governor, and Stephen Konrad, Ardoyne YC Youth Worker. Prisoners leaving Hydebank Wo

Mayor of Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick with representatives from Antrim & Newtownabbey Council Labour Market Partnership. A new employment-focused Medical Administration Training Academy is set to launch in Antrim and Newtownabbey in January 2026, offering local residents a direct pathway into administrative roles within GP practices. Following the success of two earlier academies delivered in other council areas, the Northern GP Federatio

Malachi Cush performing some of his favourite carols and newly released music with friends at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh Acclaimed Irish singer and broadcaster Malachi Cush is set to bring the spirit of Christmas to homes across Northern Ireland next week, entertaining listeners on BBC Radio Ulster following more than a dozen sold-out performances throughout the festive season. Listeners are invited to tune in on Christmas Day at 12noon for Christmas at the Cathedral ,

Nottinghamshire Police have issued an appeal directly to the public in Northern Ireland as part of a cross-border effort to locate a man wanted for breaching a court order. Police are trying to trace 39-year-old Thinkwell Javangwe, also known as Thinkwall, who remains at large despite ongoing enquiries. Officers believe he may currently be in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, who may have recently travelled there. While Javangwe has known links to the Hucknall area

As the festive season approaches, Ballymena Elim Church on Castle Street is opening its doors to the local community with two special Christmas services designed to bring people together in celebration and reflection. The church is hosting a traditional Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 21 December at 6.30pm , followed by a poignant Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Wednesday 24 December from 6.30pm to 7.30pm . In a heartfelt message, the congregation emphasised their d

The Junction continues to buck national retail trends as sales figures soar.  Christmas has come early for The Junction Retail and Leisure Park after the Antrim-based outlet confirmed the renewal of two major tenant leases while posting strong sales growth that defies wider national retail trends. The Junction has officially re-signed leasing agreements with leading retailers Next and Denby, reinforcing confidence in the scheme as it finishes 2025 with year-to-date turnover u

The Farmers’ Choir has enjoyed a highly successful and uplifting Christmas season, delighting audiences across Northern Ireland with a programme of festive music, warm humour and community spirit — while raising thousands of pounds for local charities along the way. The choir’s Christmas celebrations began with a festive concert in First Larne Presbyterian Church, hosted by Larne Foodbank. Performing a range of much-loved Christmas favourites, the choir entertained a warmly

Cahal Bradley, a charge nurse based at Antrim Area Hospital As families across Northern Ireland prepare to gather for Christmas and New Year, a frontline nurse at Antrim Area Hospital has appealed to the public to take simple but meaningful steps to protect loved ones, vulnerable patients and overstretched health services. Cahal Bradley, a charge nurse based at Antrim Area Hospital , said small acts of consideration — such as staying at home when unwell and planning ahead — c

Gary McErlain, Chair of the Lough Neagh Partnership The Chair of the Lough Neagh Partnership has urged DAERA Minister Andrew Muir to urgently reconsider a newly announced financial support package for fishermen, warning that it fails to reflect the true scale of loss suffered by the industry amid the ongoing environmental crisis at the lough. Gary McErlain said the £100,000 support scheme for Lough Neagh brown eel fishers, announced earlier this week, risks underestimating t

John McClintock and Pamela Steele from Northern Regional College; Patrick McNeill, former FutureMakers Academy participant and Clarke employee; MTF chairman David Watson; Logan Godfrey, past FutureMakers Academy participant and Wrightbus employee; Donna McCullough from Northern Regional College; and Donna Morrison from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council A fully funded skills programme aimed at helping people into sustainable employment is offering a new route into manufactur

Pictured during a visit to the Hate Crime Advocacy Service (HCAS) Justice Minister Naomi Long with Chloe Barton, Rainbow Project; Anna Pustelnik, HCAS manager; Janice Bunting, CEO Victim Support NI; Dawn McCartney, Disability Action; Jolena Flett, Head of Advocacy and Project and Lucy Fitzgerald, Policy and Communications Manager. Referrals to Northern Ireland’s Hate Crime Advocacy Service (HCAS) have increased by more than a third in the past year, with Justice Minister Naom

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, has reflected on a year of resilience, generosity and progress across the Borough in his Christmas message to residents. As festive lights illuminate towns and villages across Mid and East Antrim, the Mayor spoke of the “joy and warmth of Christmas” and the strong sense of community that has defined the past year. “It has been a true honour to serve as your

The JAQ Group team, from left to right, including Lucie Boal, Calvin Martin, with Claire McGimpsey from Cash for Kids, Connor Martin, Genevieve Martin, Jackie Kilpatrick, Mollie Walker and Alex Macalintal.    A County Antrim-based fragrance company has donated £55,000 in funding and products to support Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas campaign, helping ensure vulnerable children across Northern Ireland receive gifts this festive season. The JAQ Group, headquartered in Randals

Sara Smyth, a clinical sister in Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department Healthcare staff across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Trust) are urging the public to treat frontline workers with respect and understanding, as new figures reveal a sharp rise in violence and aggression towards staff. With Emergency Departments becoming increasingly busy and wider health services under sustained pressure, the Trust says incidents of abuse are placing further stra

Pictured with John Read, Housing Executive Good Relations Officer, Mid and East Antrim is Samantha Peden, Community Development Officer and participants of the Christmas coffee morning provided by Cullybackey Community Partnership. Also represented at the event was the board of directors, Cullybackey Men's Shed and members of Cullybackey community. All the catering equipment for the event was funded by the Housing Executive. A gift of coffee-making equipment from the Housing

Suspended jail term for 71-year-old woman who was more than twice drink drive limit when she crashed her car through a shop window in Ballymena injuring customer A 71-YEAR-OLD woman who was more than twice the drink drive limit when she crashed her car through the window of the Grove Road Spar shop in Ballymena, injuring a customer, has received a suspended jail sentence, reports Court News NI . Marion Connolly, of Carnwood Hall, Ballymena, was at the town's Magistrates' Cour

Riverside Retail Park, Coleraine A Ballymena-based property company headed by local businessman Ryan Walker has completed a landmark £30 million acquisition that brings one of Northern Ireland’s most prominent retail destinations under single local ownership for the first time. Magmel (Ballymena) Limited , which owns the Fairhill Shopping Centre in Ballymena , has acquired Riverside Retail Park in Coleraine from Kelvin Properties Ltd, in a transaction overseen by TDK Property

PRONI Offices in Belfast Public records dating from 2002 and 2003 — alongside material from earlier years — have been made publicly available online for the first time, marking a significant expansion of digital access to Northern Ireland’s recent history. The newly released documents have been added to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) website as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Ulster University. The

Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson, from the PSNI’s Operational Support Department Preliminary figures released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) show that 129 people were arrested on suspicion of drink or drug driving during the first 15 days of December, prompting renewed warnings about the potentially fatal consequences of getting behind the wheel under the influence. The figures, covering the period 1–15 December, are provisional and subject to change. Howe

More than £30 million in additional funding has been allocated to improve roads across Northern Ireland, with £4 million specifically targeted at the rural road network, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has announced. The new funding package, secured through the December Monitoring process, will support an expanded programme of road improvement works aimed at addressing longstanding maintenance challenges and improving safety for road users across both urban and rural area