NEWS

Greg McKinley, Operations Director at The Gallaher Trust, was the recipient of a BEM in this year’s King’s Birthday Honour’s List. Greg is pictured delivering an address at the recent Ballymena 400: Building on Partnership and Progress event. The quiet work of helping people into jobs, supporting skills development and ensuring a major Ballymena employer left a lasting legacy has earned one local man one of the UK’s most respected honours. Greg McKinley, Operations Director o

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

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

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

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

Ten brave volunteers stepped over the edge of one of Northern Ireland’s most recognisable buildings at the weekend, taking on a dramatic abseil down Belfast’s Europa Hotel to raise vital funds for older people across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne. The fundraising challenge, held on Sunday, 7 June, saw participants descend the side of the iconic city-centre hotel in support of Agewell, helping to generate much-needed income for services that tackle loneliness, improve wel

Kilrea-born football manager Martin O’Neill Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is to consider conferring the Freedom of the Borough on Kilrea-born football manager Martin O’Neill. During June’s council meeting, members were presented with a motion by Sinn Féin Councillor Sean Bateson seeking to award the Freedom of the Borough to Mr O’Neill in recognition of his distinguished football career and contribution to the sport. A ceremonial plaque in Kilrea has also been prop

Patients across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to recognise the family doctors and practice teams who have made a real difference to their lives as nominations open for the Royal College of General Practitioners Northern Ireland’s GP and Practice Team of the Year Awards 2026. The annual awards, launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners Northern Ireland (RCGPNI), aim to shine a spotlight on GPs and surgery teams who have gone “above and beyond” to support p

Nuala O’Connell, a Ward Sister at Antrim Area Hospital A nurse leading one of Northern Ireland’s busiest hospital teams has been recognised for transforming both staff wellbeing and patient care after introducing a workplace support initiative designed to help struggling colleagues reach out in confidence. Nuala O’Connell, a Ward Sister at Antrim Area Hospital, was named winner of the Team Manager Award at the RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Awards, with four other Nor

Well done girls: L-R: Jenna McErlain, Dayah Doherty. Willow Currie, Isabel McErlean, Rebekah Rice, Cassie Evans, Maisie Hamill, and Anna Rose Caskey. Eight young gymnasts from Toome are preparing to take centre stage on the national level after qualifying to represent Northern Ireland at the National Finals in London later this year. The athletes from Elite Gymnastics Academy secured their places following a series of strong performances throughout the British Gymnastics-back

Local woman, Ann Lamont, happy volunteering at Dogs Trust Ballymena A County Antrim woman who promised herself she would one day help rescue dogs after losing her beloved pet has now given more than 1,000 hours of service to homeless hounds at Dogs Trust Ballymena. Ann Lamont, from near Kells, has become one of the rehoming centre’s most recognisable faces after spending the past two years volunteering in its laundry room — affectionately known by staff and volunteers as “Ann

Pictured (L-R) are Peter McAuley, CEO and founder, Nomadic Watches and Iain Joannides, Head of Eastern Regional Business, Invest NI A Carrickfergus-founded luxury watch company that began as a one-man operation working from home has grown into a business with more than £1.9 million in sales — and is now planning to create 20 new jobs as it expands internationally. Nomadic Watches, founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Peter McAuley, has rapidly built a global customer base from Nor

Countryfile’s Adam Henson, Local chef, broadcaster and Head Judge Paula McIntyre and Sheila Dillon from BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme launch nominations for the awards at The Balmoral Show Northern Ireland’s food and farming industry is set for a major national spotlight after it was confirmed the BBC Food and Farming Awards will be hosted here for the first time ever later this year. The prestigious UK-wide awards ceremony will take place at Titanic Belfast in October 202

Ballymena boxer Ella McDonald A Ballymena woman who only started boxing in her mid-twenties is preparing to make her professional debut next month after an extraordinary rise through the amateur ranks that has already seen her claim major titles, win international medals and train alongside some of the best fighters in Ireland. At just 28 years old, Ella McDonald will step into the professional game for the first time at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on June 26 — a moment she onc

Winning: Boxing talent Kain Stewart from Ballymena A brother and sister from Ballymena have returned from the WKO European Championships with multiple European titles after producing a series of dominant performances against some of the continent’s top young fighters. Lacey Stewart and her younger brother Kain Stewart — already rapidly rising names in local combat sports — travelled to Barnsley representing Cuchulainn Combat Sports under Ballymena MMA figure Alan “Super Ali”

St Louis Grammar School in Ballymena has been ranked the top-performing school in Northern Ireland for A-Level results after achieving an extraordinary 98% rate of pupils securing three or more A-Level passes at grades A*-C. The achievement places the Ballymena school at number one in the Belfast Telegraph’s latest league table rankings for 2025, marking a major moment not only for the school community but for education in the wider North Antrim area. It comes amid growing pr

Twenty-four year-old Declan McCook, founder of Niche Coastal A young entrepreneur from Ballycastle has been recognised among the top emerging businesses across Scotland and Northern Ireland after securing silver in the prestigious HSBC & FSB Start-Up Business Awards. At just 24 years old, Declan McCook, founder of Niche Coastal, was named runner-up in one of the competition’s most competitive categories — a significant achievement for a business launched little more than a ye

Pictured during a visit to The JAQ Group’s rapidly expanding headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Randalstown, are Tom Wiggins, Chief Executive of Ballymena Chamber of Commerce, Peter Houston, President of Ballymena Chamber of Commerce and Connor Martin, Managing Director of The JAQ Group. More than 30 members of Ballymena Chamber of Commerce were given a first-hand look inside one of Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing business success stories this week as they toured

Smiles all round as Ready2Work Academy students stand outside Tuition Time with teachers and facilitators, celebrating the success of their showcase café event. A group of young people from Larne took a major step towards the world of work this week after stepping behind the counter to run a real café environment as part of a programme designed to help SEN school leavers build confidence and job-ready skills. Ten students from Roddensvale School showcased what they had learne

One year after finishing second from bottom, Ballymena Norstar U13s have completed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in local youth sport by becoming Inline Hockey Ireland League Champions for 2026 — without losing a single match all season. The young Ballymena side sealed the title after a tense final-day showdown against the Dublin Flying Ducks in front of a packed crowd in Portadown, capping an unbeaten campaign that has turned the team into one of the standout success