NEWS

An elderly man and woman were left badly shaken after masked intruders tied them up during a terrifying overnight burglary at a home in County Londonderry. The ordeal unfolded in the early hours of Saturday morning, 23 May, at a property in the Formoyle Road area of Macosquin, where a man in his 70s and a woman in her 60s were confronted inside their own home by two masked men. Police said the couple were ordered to hand over money before the intruders stole mobile phones, a

VR Mesolithic hut from the Mountsandel virtual reality experience An internationally significant archaeological site in County Londonderry is set to undergo its first major survey in half a century, as experts prepare to dig deeper into the ancient secrets of Mountsandel. The new investigation at Mountsandel — regarded as one of Ireland’s earliest known human settlements — will form part of a wider heritage project backed through the Causeway Coast and Glens PEACEPLUS Action

Dr Martin Hanna, Consultant Paediatrician; Lesley Kennedy, Paediatric Asthma & Allergy Nurse Specialist and Anne Marie Campbell, Allergy Dietitian. Children waiting for specialist allergy care in the Northern Trust area are being seen faster after a series of additional evening clinics helped tackle lengthy paediatric waiting lists at Antrim Area Hospital. The extra clinics, funded by the Department of Health, were introduced specifically to reduce delays for children needing

Margarette O’Donnell, a peer trainer with The Recovery College, has described how her own mental health journey inspired her to help others. For years, Margarette O’Donnell felt she was “losing the battle day by day” with her mental health — hiding her struggles behind a brave face while privately feeling hopeless about the future. Now, during Mental Health Awareness Week, the Northern Trust Recovery College peer trainer is sharing her deeply personal story in the hope it enc

Pictured at the launch of the Death Positive Library in Coleraine, including Fiona Gilmour, Northern Trust Macmillan Service Improvement Lead, Sharon Williams, Project Manager, Compassionate Communities NI, the Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Alderman Richard Stewart-Brown, Seamus Coyle, the Northern Trust’s Lead Nurse Consultant Adult Learning Disability Team, Anne O’Hagan, Macmillan Community Palliative Care Service Improvement Facilitator, Diane M

Retired Baptist pastor Clive Johnston A retired Baptist pastor has been convicted under Northern Ireland’s abortion buffer zone laws after preaching on John 3:16 near Causeway Hospital in Coleraine — prompting fierce criticism from the Traditional Unionist Voice, which described the judgement as a “chilling” attack on freedom of speech and religion. Pastor Clive Johnston, 78, was found guilty of two charges under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act after holding an

Community mental health teams across the Causeway Coast and Glens are being positioned at the centre of a major shift in how care is delivered, with health officials signalling they are ready to align with a new model designed to bring services closer to people’s homes. Members of the Causeway Hospital Partnership Board heard this week that existing community-based services are already well placed to support the Department of Health’s Neighbourhood Model of Health and Wellbei

TV and radio presenter Dermot O’Leary filming in Ballycastle for the second series of ‘Dermot’s Taste of Ireland’. A major new television series showcasing Northern Ireland’s coastline is set to reach millions of viewers this weekend, as broadcaster Dermot O’Leary returns with a second series of his hit travel and food programme exploring the island of Ireland. The new series of ‘Dermot’s Taste of Ireland’ will begin airing on ITV1 and streaming platform ITVX on Saturday, 2 M

Northern Ireland’s emergency departments have recorded their worst waiting times ever, with senior clinicians warning that lives are at risk unless urgent action is taken to address a deepening crisis across the health system. New figures covering January to March 2026 reveal a dramatic deterioration in performance, with patients facing unprecedented delays for treatment, admission, or discharge. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued a stark warning to the

Emergency departments across Northern Ireland are facing escalating strain, with new Department of Health figures confirming rising demand, worsening waiting time performance, and a sharp increase in the number of patients enduring extreme delays — with the Northern Trust area, including Antrim Area Hospital and Causeway Hospital, firmly at the centre of the pressure. The latest statistics, covering January to March 2026, show only 40.2% of patients were treated, discharged o

Kurt Harmer, Dealer Principal of Ballymena Honda, and Honda Racing’s John McGuinness, presented five Honda Fireblades and three Honda CBR600RR machines to Mervyn Whyte, Race Director of the Briggs Equipment North West 200 at the recent re-opening of the revamped Ballymena Honda showroom, in Co. Antrim. (Pics by: Stephen Davison) Ballymena Honda and Feridax have reinforced the safety operation at this year’s Briggs Equipment North West 200 by supplying a fleet of high-performa

Pictured at the launch of Armed Forces Day 2026 at Coleraine Town Hall; Councillor Tanya Elder, Captain Robert Gibson BEM, Royal Logistic Corps 152 (North Irish) Regiment, Wing Commander Jacqueline Rankin (RAF), Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Alderman Richard Brown Stewart, Commander Tom Wardley, Senior Naval Officer NI, Councillor Dawn Huggins, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council's Veterans' Champion, Councillor Philip Anderson, Deputy Veterans Champion And k

Hannah Scott MBE who received the Freedom of the Borough at a special civic ceremony at Coleraine Town Hall. (Pics: Steven McAuley/ Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council) Coleraine’s Olympic gold medallist Hannah Scott MBE has been awarded the Freedom of the Borough — the highest civic honour available — in recognition of her historic achievement at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The honour was formally conferred by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council during a special

A man is receiving hospital treatment after being shot in the hand during an early-hours gun attack on the Bushmills Road in Coleraine, with police closing part of the route on Sunday morning as investigations continue. The shooting happened in the early hours of Sunday, 12 April, when the victim was walking home between 1.00am and 1.30am. According to initial reports, a male dressed entirely in black, with his face covered, approached the man on the Bushmills Road and fired

Cancer services in Northern Ireland remained under intense strain at the end of 2025, with the latest Department of Health figures showing that almost all key waiting time targets continued to be missed despite an increase in the number of patients beginning treatment and a sharp rise in breast cancer assessments. The newly published Accredited Official Statistics cover the quarter ending December 2025 and set out waiting times for patients accessing cancer services at hospit

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department Emergency departments across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust remain under significant pressure, interim chief executive Suzanne Pullins told a board meeting last week. Ms Pullins said the Trust’s emergency departments “remain under pressure from the number of people coming through the system”. The Northern Trust has reported a 12 per cent increase in emergency department (ED) attendances by patients aged over 75 at Causeway

It was a packed hall with 1000 guests attending EA’s Music Spring Gala hosted in partnership with Ulster University in the Diamond Hall at its Coleraine Campus. More than 500 young musicians from across north Antrim and mid Ulster have taken to the stage in a powerful celebration of music, community, and collaboration — marking a major milestone for youth music in the region. The EA Music Spring Gala 2026, held on Thursday 26 March at Ulster University’s Coleraine campus, bro

An action plan is set to be implemented by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust at Whiteabbey Hospital by the end of next month in a bid to improve theatre efficiency. Trust board members were presented with a report on theatre performance at the end of February, which showed that performance in the Trust’s “peripheral” hospitals — Whiteabbey and Mid Ulster — is below target in terms of both operating and run times. Operating times refer to the time spent on each patient

Families planning Easter getaways are being urged to plan ahead as Translink confirms timetable changes — alongside special seaside trains and discounted travel offers across Northern Ireland. With thousands expected to take advantage of the holiday break, the public transport provider says it is gearing up to offer “comfortable, affordable and hassle-free” journeys for both local trips and longer days out. Holiday timetable changes confirmed Passengers should expect changes

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department (ED) Body-worn cameras will now become a permanent feature in the Emergency Department at Antrim Area Hospital, following what health officials have described as a “meaningful and constructive” pilot scheme. The decision, approved today (Thursday, March 26) by the Board of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, also paves the way for the technology to be introduced at Causeway Hospital’s Emergency Department in the near future.