NEWS

Farmers’ Choir NI performing at The Braid, Ballymena A packed audience filled The Braid Arts Centre as Farmers’ Choir NI delivered a sell-out Spring Concert celebrating the humour, hardships and strong sense of community at the heart of rural life across Northern Ireland. Drawing concertgoers from farming families and countryside communities, the evening blended music, storytelling and laughter in a performance that reflected the real-life experiences of those who live and wo

Members of the Farm Families Health Checks team celebrates reaching its 30,000th health check with Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt and Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland. A Northern Ireland health programme delivering frontline care directly into rural communities has reached a major milestone after providing 30,000 on-the-spot health checks for farmers and farm families. The Farm Families Health Checks Programme, which has operated across N

Ballymena is preparing to celebrate a major milestone this Saturday as the town marks its 400th anniversary with a packed day of parades, live entertainment, history, music and free family activities expected to draw large crowds into the town centre. From community groups and youth organisations taking part in a colourful town parade, to live performances in People’s Park and historical re-enactors bringing centuries of local history to life, the celebrations are designed to

Police are deploying extra officers to beaches, parks and town centres across Northern Ireland this bank holiday weekend as warm weather is expected to bring a major surge in visitors to coastal hotspots and tourist areas. The PSNI said additional patrols will be visible across the North Coast, North Down and South Down over the sunny holiday weekend, with officers focusing on anti-social behaviour, alcohol-related disorder, dangerous driving and public safety. The move comes

The Gallaher Trust has committed £100,000 to Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership’s Delivering Options through Tailored Solutions (Dots) social enterprise. Pictured are, from left, Chrissy Havelin, Finance and Systems Team Lead, Rebecca Rea, Dots Service Coordinator, Jenny Marshall, Executive Director of Community Programmes and James Perry MBE, a Trustee at The Gallaher Trust. More than 550 older adults across the Ballymena area are set to receive expanded practical supp

Pictured at Galgorm Collection’s annual staff party are, from left, Laura Millar, Leah Harrison, Jade Strain, Kelly Kane and Katherine Baillie. One of Northern Ireland’s biggest hospitality employers has rewarded hundreds of staff with a major gala celebration after another year of expansion — with a surprise video message from Hollywood star Hugh Jackman becoming one of the highlights of the night. Around 450 employees from across Galgorm Collection gathered at Galgorm Reso

Site location of new social and affordable housing in Ballyvoy, County Antrim Plans for a new housing development within the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are set to be considered by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Planning Committee next week. The outline application seeks permission for 14 social and affordable homes on lands west of St Patrick’s Culfeightrin Church on Cushendall Road in Ballyvoy. A planning officer’s report sai

3D Aerial views of proposed new campus for Cullybackey College, outside Ballymena Cullybackey could be set for one of its biggest education and infrastructure transformations in decades under ambitious plans for a brand-new 700-pupil college campus, major new sports facilities and sweeping road upgrades aimed at tackling long-standing traffic problems around the village. The multi-million-pound proposals for Cullybackey College have now officially entered public consultation,

Arthur Cottage in Cullybackey, Ballymena. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has agreed to scrap admission charges at one of its historic tourist attractions for a 12-month trial period — despite concerns from some councillors over falling income and ongoing financial pressures. Members of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee backed the proposal for free entry at President Arthur Homestead in Cullybackey during a meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday

Unionist representatives Sam Patton and Councillor Alan Barr raised the ongoing issues of electric scooters following contact from local residents Police have confirmed privately owned e-scooters cannot legally be used on public roads, footpaths, cycle lanes or other public spaces in Northern Ireland, following concerns over their misuse in Kells and Broughshane. The clarification was issued by Sergeant Stevie Allen, from the Mid and East Antrim Local Policing Team, in respon

Colman Byrne, Laura Murray and Michael Graham invite you to Discover CAFRE during Open Farm Weekend at Greenmount Campus, Antrim and Enniskillen Campus. Families across Northern Ireland are being invited to step behind the scenes of rural life next month as CAFRE opens two of its major campuses to the public for a free weekend packed with hands-on activities, food experiences and live farming demonstrations. From sheep shearing and tractor simulators in Antrim to equestrian d

Pictured (L-R) Cullybackey Blues committee member Ryan O’Neill with TUV Braid Alderman Stewart McDonald Cullybackey Blues marked a major night for the club and the wider village community on Wednesday as new upgraded floodlights at the club’s pitch were officially welcomed alongside confirmation of the team’s automatic promotion to the Bsml Division 2. The improvements are expected to allow the club to continue training locally throughout the darker winter months while streng

Pictured during the Fostering 400 Bike Tour, left – right, are Shauna Garvin (Northern Trust), Councillor Jackson Minford, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Marie McTaggart (Northern Trust) and foster carer Gareth Irvine, who led the Foster 400 bike tour. Hundreds of children across Northern Ireland are facing uncertainty as foster care services urgently appeal for at least 400 additional foster carers — with Ballymena becoming one of the key stops in a major awar

Robin Swann MP with Randalstown and District Beekeepers Association South Antrim MP Robin Swann has marked World Bee Day by highlighting the critical role pollinators play in Northern Ireland’s food production, farming industry and countryside biodiversity. The former Stormont Health Minister used the international awareness day to praise the work of local volunteer beekeepers, warning that protecting pollinators remains essential for both the environment and the local econom

Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena A review of leisure centre opening hours is set to be carried out by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council after councillors called for a rethink on bank holiday closures. Speaking at last week’s council meeting at The Braid in Ballymena, Larne Lough Alliance Councillor Maeve Donnelly proposed a motion calling for leisure facilities to open during bank holidays. Cllr Donnelly said: “For many of us, bank holidays are a welcome opportunity t

Murdock Builders Merchants team members Connor Gough, Stephen Patterson and Drew Fowler pictured ahead of the Murdock 110k fundraising challenge Four members of the Murdock team are preparing to push themselves through an extraordinary 24-hour endurance challenge that will see them collectively run a staggering 440 kilometres across Northern Ireland in aid of three charities with deep personal meaning to those taking part. The challenge, titled ‘Murdock 110KM’, will begin at

The Israeli flag at a car park on Knockan Road in Broughshane A complaint made to police over an Israeli flag being flown in a public area in Broughshane has resulted in no further action after the PSNI determined that no offence had been committed. Police confirmed officers attended the Knockan Road area on Saturday, 16th May, after receiving a report regarding the flag, which had been erected in the car park area. The incident has since prompted political reaction locally,

Braid Ulster Unionist representatives Sam Patton and Councillor Alan Barr Residents in Kells and Broughshane have warned that it is “only a matter of time” before someone is seriously injured amid growing concerns over the dangerous misuse of e-scooters by children and young people across the area. Braid Ulster Unionist representatives Sam Patton and Councillor Alan Barr say they have been contacted by multiple worried residents who claim e-scooters are being driven recklessl

Ballymena is preparing for one of its biggest annual public events as thousands of spectators, bandsmen, lodge members and families are expected to gather across the town for the 2026 District Twelfth demonstration. The traditional Twelfth of July parade will take place on Monday, 13 July, bringing together 30 local lodges, 17 bands and the unmistakable sound of the Lambeg drum as the procession makes its way through the town centre before heading to the main demonstration fi

Ballymena woman Gemma O’Hara A Ballymena woman who suffered a stroke at just 39 years old has spoken publicly about the “miracle” treatment that saved her life as pressure mounts on Northern Ireland’s Health Minister to deliver long-promised 24/7 thrombectomy services. Gemma O’Hara says she cannot bear to think what her life would look like today had she not received the emergency clot-removal procedure in time after collapsing shortly after returning home from a holiday in T