NEWS

Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena Wednesday 16 September 2026 Mid and East Antrim councillors have backed plans to restore bank holiday opening at the borough’s three main leisure centres, giving members access to facilities in Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus on public holidays. The council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee, meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday evening, approved the move, which would see the centres open from 8am until 4pm on bank h

CGI design drawing of the proposed new Ballymena Health, Leisure and Wellbeing Centre Consultancy and related expenditure disclosed across four major Mid and East Antrim Borough Council projects had reached more than £3.55 million by the end of June — including almost £1.14 million across two Ballymena projects. The figures have prompted Ulster Unionist Party Braid Councillor Alan Barr to press the council over whether delays, changes or contract extensions could result in fu

Andrew, Ballymena Rural Warden; a resident of Cullybackey Fold and Paul, PSNI Crime Prevention Officer educate senior citizens on scams. Senior citizens across Mid and East Antrim are being given practical advice to help them recognise scams and protect themselves from fraud. Community Safety Wardens are distributing copies of The Little Book of Big Scams, which explains some of the most common types of fraud, the warning signs people should watch for and steps they can take

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Tom Gordon The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Tom Gordon, has led tributes to four respected figures with connections to communities across the borough who died recently. Speaking at a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council at The Braid in Ballymena earlier this week, the mayor paid tribute to Janetta Scott, Joe Carmichael, Liam Kelly and award-winning Ballymena journalist and author Stephen Walker. Ald Gordon offered con

Ballymena Town Hall, and (inset) Braid Councillor Alan Barr Mid and East Antrim councillors have backed a call for a dedicated Stormont funding programme to help community groups tackle weeds, litter and neglected public spaces across the borough. The proposal would provide financial support for community organisations and social enterprises carrying out environmental improvements, although several councillors cautioned that any new scheme must not allow councils or other sta

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with a series of offences after a police officer was engulfed in flames and suffered burns to his face during a petrol bomb attack in Carrickfergus. The teenager is due to appear before Belfast Youth Court next month in connection with disorder in the Albert Road area of the town on Tuesday 9 June. A second officer had their hair singed and experienced breathing difficulties after flames also engulfed a police vehicle during the same attack.

David pictured with his Dad, who he is his named after. David Clarke was just 21 when he began to understand that the father who had spent his life looking after him was slowly going to need his son to do the same for him. Almost 14 years later, dementia has taken conversations, memories and many of the ordinary moments they once shared — but it has never taken the bond between them. “Memories may fade but love remains,” David says. Now, after years in which the experience fe

Councils are set to receive stronger powers to tackle dangerous buildings, abandoned properties and neglected land after new Northern Ireland-wide legislation cleared its final Assembly stage. The Dilapidation Bill will allow councils, including Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, to intervene earlier and issue enforcement notices requiring property owners, occupiers or others with a relevant interest to carry out remedial work. Where a council is forced to undertake the wor

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon with the Principal of Olderfleet Primary School, Mrs. Galbraith and representatives from the school. The Red Ensign has been raised in Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne as Mid and East Antrim paid tribute to generations of Merchant Navy seafarers — including thousands who lost their lives during the two World Wars. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council marked national Merchant Navy Day, held annually on 3 September, with

MEA Director of Growth & Major Projects Ryan Black; MEA Assistant Director of Economic Development Ursula O'Loughlin; Mayor Thomas Gordon; and Iain Joannides from Invest NI Business investment in Mid and East Antrim has more than doubled to £20 million in the space of a year, with support offered through Invest Northern Ireland expected to help create 106 new jobs across the borough. More than 90% of those jobs are expected to pay above the private sector median salary, accor

Councillor Tyler Hoey, Chairman of Mid &East Antrim Policing and Community Safety partnership is pictured with Elena Brewer, Training Officer at ASCERT; Sergeant Wickham-Thomas, Neighbourhood Policing Officer, PSNI; Christina Li, ASCERT and Colin Robinson, Training Services Manager at ASCERT. A new free training programme aimed at helping bar, restaurant, club and off-licence staff deal confidently with alcohol-related risks is being rolled out across Mid and East Antrim this

Former Mid and East Antrim Borough Council chief executive Anne Donaghy Former Mid and East Antrim Borough Council chief executive Anne Donaghy has been convicted of two charges connected to deleting or attempting to delete an email to prevent disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Donaghy, 56, of Clonmore Road, Dungannon, was fined a total of £1,500 following a trial at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court. The charges on which she was convicted concerned an email sent to

Adrian and Nicci Stewart, foster carers with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust More foster families are urgently needed across the Northern Trust area as growing numbers of children require somewhere safe and supportive to call home — whether for a single night or for several years. For Adrian and Nicci Stewart, answering that need has meant welcoming more than 22 children through their front door in just six years. The couple have cared for newborn babies, toddlers a

A public consultation on proposals for two new dog exercise areas in Mid and East Antrim has been approved by councillors. The sites identified by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council are at Wilson Crescent in Ballymena and Eden Playing Fields outside Carrickfergus, with the proposals intended to provide secure areas where dogs can exercise off-lead. However, councillors have raised questions over the locations, parking, potential equipment and safety, while one Ballymena repr

Some services provided by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council could face disruption later this year after local government staff rejected a 3.3% pay offer, councillors have been told. Members of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee received an update on the 2026/27 pay award negotiations at a meeting in The Braid, Ballymena, on Monday evening. The report covered pay negotiations for council chief executives, chief officers (directors) and staff em

Dáithí Mac Gabhann as he continues his recovery in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Wednesday, 5 August 2026 Someone in the UK will die today waiting for an organ transplant. That stark reality is behind a new appeal from the Public Health Agency (PHA), which is urging people across Northern Ireland to register their organ donation decision—and, just as importantly, make sure their family knows what they want. The campaign supports a UK-wide challenge by NHS Blood and Transplant to encour

Waiting on the chinook for extraction… Alan Barr serving with the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan Tuesday, 4 August 2026 Military veterans, armed forces personnel, and frontline emergency service workers across Mid and East Antrim will now be able to access discounted memberships at the borough’s leisure centres under a new council scheme aimed at recognising their service. Eligible veterans as well as those currently serving, PSNI officers and staff, Northern Ireland Fire

A man has been arrested after two members of staff at a Carrickfergus off-licence were threatened during what police have described as a terrifying armed robbery on Friday evening. The incident happened shortly before 8.10pm on Friday, 31 July, when a man allegedly entered the store, grabbed a female employee from behind and held what was later established to be a screwdriver to her throat while demanding money. According to detectives, the woman was forced into the rear of t

Thomas Haighton, manager of Hawthorns Adult Centre in Carrickfergus, pictured with service users Julia, Lauren and Roy who between them have accumulated almost 150 years of attendance at the centre. Five decades of friendship, opportunity and inclusion were celebrated this week as Hawthorns Adult Centre in Carrickfergus marked its 50th anniversary with service users, families and staff reflecting on a remarkable journey. The centre, which first opened in July 1976, has suppor

Electrical recycling point at one of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC) Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to take extra care when disposing of batteries, vapes and electrical items after a series of potentially dangerous fire incidents at the borough’s Household Recycling Centres. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council says several recent near-misses have been caused by items being placed in the wrong recycling containers,