NEWS

A new Christmas lights display is bringing festive warmth, faith and community spirit to Broughshane this winter, as Tim’s Lights makes its debut on Caherty Hill in support of Marie Curie Northern Ireland. The charity display, which also runs in Tandragee, is rooted in a deeply personal mission — to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas while raising vital funds for end-of-life care across Northern Ireland. Since first switching on in 2014, Tim’s Lights has raised an impres

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has entered into a debate over which household recycling system works best, after the issue was raised at a meeting of a neighbouring council. Speaking in the council chamber at Mossley Mill on Monday evening, Antrim DUP councillor Paul Dunlop highlighted the differing approaches taken by local authorities. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has recently completed the roll-out of a triple-stacked wheelie box system to 25,000 house

Health and care services remain available across Northern Ireland during the festive period to ensure residents can enjoy the holidays safely. As families across Northern Ireland gather for Christmas dinners, carol singing, and New Year’s celebrations, the Department of Health is reminding everyone to prioritise both physical and mental wellbeing. With the potential for winter bugs, minor accidents from icy paths or overenthusiastic festive games, and the emotional highs and

Translink has today (17 December 2025) published a landmark report detailing feasibility studies for four transformative rail projects, offering fresh hope for improved connectivity across Northern Ireland. The document, Shaping the Future: A Rail Network for Northern Ireland , builds on the All-Island Strategic Rail Review and highlights schemes that could reconnect long-isolated communities, slash journey times, and support the shift to sustainable travel. For many resident

Allison Ewing, Fraud Manager, Education & Awareness at Bank of Ireland with Peter Corrie, Customer Advisor urging everyone to stay alert and be extra vigilant as purchase scams are on the rise. Purchase scams are now the most common form of fraud reported in Northern Ireland, prompting Bank of Ireland to issue a renewed warning to consumers as Christmas shopping reaches its peak. As households across Northern Ireland turn to online platforms in the final days before Christmas

A police officer has been injured and two people arrested after a stolen car was deliberately rammed into a PSNI patrol vehicle during a late-night incident in Enniskillen. The incident unfolded shortly before 1am on the Cornagrade Road, as officers on patrol under Operation Season’s Greetings attempted to stop a silver Ford Fiesta acting suspiciously in the area. Police say that when the vehicle was signalled to stop, the driver instead made off at speed, attempting to escap

Antrim Trolley Dash winner Daniel Lemon took home over £167 worth of Lidl’s award-winning Deluxe festive food and treats to enjoy over the Christmas season Lidl shoppers across County Antrim have raised more than £25,000 for Age NI, as part of Lidl Northern Ireland’s annual festive Trolley Dash fundraiser, helping to support older people across Northern Ireland during the winter months. The County Antrim total contributed to an overall regional figure of £73,433, raised throu

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough councillors are demanding a meeting with contractor Bryson Recycling following complaints from residents about missed bin collections. Members were given an update on the roll-out of the council’s triple-stack wheelie box bins in the Antrim area at a meeting of the local authority at Mossley Mill on Monday evening. A council director said the roll-out had been completed “within schedule and on budget” to more than 25,000 households, with “mini

Fibrus Networks Ltd appointed to deliver Project Gigabit. More than 9,000 rural homes and businesses across Northern Ireland are set to benefit from fast, reliable broadband under a major new £34.6 million infrastructure programme announced by the Economy Minister. Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has confirmed that Fibrus Networks Ltd has been appointed to deliver Project Gigabit, the UK government-funded scheme aimed at bringing gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-re

Police in Cookstown have seized counterfeit goods potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds during a coordinated operation targeting illegal trading in the town. The seizure was made on Monday, 15th December, when officers from the Cookstown Neighbourhood Team, supported by the District Support Team and Trading Standards, carried out proactive searches at a number of houses and business premises. During the operation, conducted as part of Operation Season’s Greetings,

A fourth suspected case of Bluetongue virus is under investigation in Co Down, after DAERA confirmed two further suspect infections in cattle during ongoing surveillance within Temporary Control Zones (TCZs). The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said the latest suspected cases were identified in two cattle on a second farm near Greyabbey, bringing the total number of premises with suspected infection to four. The development follows confirmation by the

CEO of Women’s Aid ABCLN, Gillian Creevey welcomes the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick and Director of Community Development, Ursula Fay to the Women’s Refuge to receive the pyjama appeal donations More than 400 pairs of pyjamas have been donated to this year’s Women’s Aid Christmas Pyjama Appeal, bringing warmth, comfort and a sense of normality to children and families affected by domestic abuse across the Antrim and Newtownabbey borough. The a

Belfast Zoo joins the Lord Mayor, Cllr Tracy Kelly, to spread festive joy Belfast Zoo has helped bring festive cheer to young patients at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, joining the Lord Mayor of Belfast on a special Christmas visit aimed at lifting spirits during the holiday season. The Zoo joined Lord Mayor Councillor Tracy Kelly on Monday (15th December) as part of her visit supporting local charity Little Heroes, which works closely with children and familie

Courtney and Corrin Kennedy (7) from Dunloy, Co. Antrim. For seven-year-old Corrin Kennedy from Dunloy, Co Antrim , this Christmas will be unlike any other. Instead of hospital appointments and medical routines, Corrin and his mum, Courtney, are travelling to Lapland on a magical, once-in-a-lifetime journey made possible by the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust. Corrin, who has cerebral palsy (left-sided hemiplegia), epilepsy and is registered a

Mrs McCloskey's classroom celebrating with Papa Elf.  Festive cheer was delivered in style at Ballycastle Integrated Primary School after its Primary One class was named the winner of the Fibrus ‘Christmas Classroom’ competition. Local Full Fibre broadband provider Fibrus surprised pupils when Papa Elf and the Fibrus Tinsel Team arrived at their classroom bearing a sack filled with presents for every child. Papa Elf, a familiar festive figure who has brought Christmas cheer

Minister Muir met Joshua Busteed from Coleraine and Mya Nixon from Ballyclare , Level 2 Horticulture students during a visit to Greenkeeping and Golf Academy at Greenmount Campus. The students are completing a one-year cadetship programme generously supported by Golf Ireland. DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has underlined the growing importance of sustainability and skills development within Northern Ireland’s sports turf sector during a visit to the 2025 Turf Matters event at CA

Quagga Mussels (left) and Zebra Mussels (right) - (1.5x magnification) The first confirmed case of the highly invasive quagga mussel in Northern Ireland has been detected in Lower Lough Erne, triggering alarm among environmental scientists, politicians and local communities who depend on the lough for livelihoods, recreation and drinking water. The discovery has prompted sharp criticism of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) from Fermanagh and

(L-R) Roy Little (Founder and Managing Director, Roy Lyttle Produce), Lewis Cunningham (Managing Director, Wilson's Country), Nigel Doherty (Buying Manager, Produce - Tesco), Gerald Miller (Managing Director, Milgro Onions), and Thomas Gilpin (Founder, Gilfresh Produce).  Tesco stores across Northern Ireland are preparing for a bumper festive season, with more than 10 million portions of locally supplied vegetables expected to be snapped up by shoppers in the run-up to Ch

WWF Award NI group photo L-R: Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Harrison (NPCC National Lead for Wildlife Crime and Rural Affairs), Dr Jon Lees (Northern Ireland Environment Agency), Emma Meredith (PSNI Wildlife and Animal Welfare Officer), Mark Wright (WWF), Kevin Lacks-Kelly (National Wildlife Crime Unit). A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) wildlife and animal welfare officer has been recognised at a national level for her role in safeguarding one of Northern Irela

A woman aged in her 90s has tragically died following a fire at a residential property in Lisburn, as the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) issued an urgent home fire safety appeal after four fatal house fires across Northern Ireland in just three days. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed officers received a report of an ongoing fire in the Tansy Road area shortly before 6.30pm on Sunday evening, December 14. Police attended alongside colleagu