NEWS

Sabrina Lynn, Head of Service, Louise Gillespie, Programme Delivery Officer, Suzanne Pullins, Northern Trust Chief Executive, and Lynsey McVitty, Health and Wellbeing Locality Lead, prepare to cut the celebration cake at the ‘thank you’ event. Hundreds of patients and service users across Northern Ireland benefit every year from the time, compassion and dedication of volunteers working within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust — and this week those volunteers were reco

DUP Bannside Councillor Tyler Hoey A proposal inspired by a Ballymena child who became overwhelmed before attending a community event is set to bring sensory support boxes into council buildings across Mid and East Antrim after receiving unanimous backing from local councillors. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council voted in favour of a motion brought forward by DUP Councillor Tyler Hoey during a meeting at The Braid on Monday, June 8, paving the way for officers to examine the

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

(L-R) Sarah McLaughlin, Executive Director for Health, and Catriona Delargy, IMPACTAgewell Team Leader, Agewell Partnership For many older people across Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus, support for better health and wellbeing is increasingly being found not just in a doctor’s surgery, but through local community groups, advice services and social activities designed to reduce isolation and improve quality of life. That approach was placed firmly in the spotlight this month

Leanne Richmond, Clinical Sister in the Neonatal Unit at Antrim Area Hospital. A baby’s earliest experiences can have a profound impact on their future emotional wellbeing, according to healthcare professionals at Antrim Area Hospital, who are using Infant Mental Health Awareness Week to highlight the lifelong importance of strong early relationships. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is raising awareness of how simple but meaningful interactions between babies and th

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

Maggie O’Farrell’s latest novel Land continues to lead the bestseller chart at Waterstone’s Ballymena this week, as readers flock to a diverse range of literary fiction, fantasy adventures, crime thrillers and non-fiction titles. The latest update from the Ballymena bookshop also highlights upcoming book clubs, Father’s Day gift inspiration, family storytime sessions and a strong line-up of newly released books from award-winning and bestselling authors. Top 10 this week A br

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

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

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

GP practices across Mid and East Antrim are now caring for thousands more patients than they were a decade ago after the borough lost one in four surgeries, new official figures reveal. New General Medical Services statistics published by the Business Services Organisation and NISRA show the number of GP practices in Mid and East Antrim has fallen from 28 in 2014 to 21 in 2026 — a reduction of 25 per cent. Yet during the same period, the number of registered patients increase

One of Ballymena’s most important sporting venues is set for a major transformation after plans for a new high-performance 3G hybrid pitch at Ballymena Showgrounds were approved on Thursday. The project will replace the existing natural grass surface in the main arena with a modern all-weather system designed to significantly increase year-round usage, reduce weather-related disruption and create greater opportunities for clubs, schools and community groups across the borough

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

Families shopping at M&S could see noticeable savings on everything from salmon and mince to eggs, ketchup and freezer staples after the retailer announced a major £30 million investment in lowering food prices across more than 65 everyday products. The move marks one of the retailer’s biggest pushes yet to compete more aggressively for regular weekly food shops, with M&S insisting customers will still get the same quality ingredients and sourcing standards rather than a stri

Vintage tractors, roaring motorcycles and classic engines will roll back into Craigywarren this weekend as one of Mid Antrim’s best-known rural rally events prepares for two packed days of family entertainment, road runs and community celebration in memory of Jackie McLaughlin. The Craigywarren Vintage Rally returns on Friday 12 June and Saturday 13 June, bringing together vintage vehicle enthusiasts, bikers, traders and families from across Northern Ireland for a busy progra

Commuters across Northern Ireland are facing major disruption tonight after Translink announced the suspension of all evening bus and rail services amid fears of unrest linked to expected protests. The unprecedented move means no bus departures will operate after 5pm on Wednesday evening, while all train services will stop departing after 6pm as transport operators brace for potential disorder. The decision is expected to impact thousands of passengers travelling home from wo