NEWS

Ethel Blair, centre, with Gail Caldwell, Asda Larne Community Champion, McGee's butcher Conor O'Cleary, Serena Quigley, front right and Serena's dad Jim Steele, who also works on the McGee's counter at Asda Larne A Larne woman who has spent more than a century watching the world change around her has marked her 100th birthday with a royal letter from the King, a hand-delivered gift from the Lord-Lieutenant’s office — and flowers from the supermarket team who have become part

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Republic of Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) have issued a major cross-border warning over dangerous drugs circulating ahead of the busy summer festival and concert season, with officials raising serious concerns about high-strength MDMA, ketamine-related harms and the spread of so-called “pink cocaine” across the island of Ireland. Thousands of people are expected to travel north and south for concerts, festivals and nightlife e

Northern Ireland is preparing for one of its biggest weeks of youth sport of the year after the full fixture list for the 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI was officially unveiled — bringing Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers, Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland back to pitches across the north this summer. More than 1,200 young players from across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East will descend on the Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim, an

NIO Minister Matthew Patrick; Secretary of State, Hilary Benn MP; Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health; Health Minister Mike Nesbitt; deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly; Finance Minister John O'Dowd; Leah O’Donnell, Pharmacist at Carryduff Pharmacy; Marie Smith, Chair of Community Pharmacy NI. A major £42 million investment to replace paper prescriptions with a fully digital system across Northern Ireland has been unveiled as part o

Hundreds of thousands of people across Northern Ireland could be living with dangerously high blood pressure without realising it — and a free health event coming to Ballymena aims to change that before lives are put at risk. Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) has launched a public awareness campaign highlighting what it describes as the hidden danger of undetected high blood pressure, a condition linked to one in every two heart attacks and strokes. As part of the

Derry’s riverfront is set to transform into a giant family playground this summer as the 2026 Foyle Maritime Festival prepares to bring four days of circus acts, tall ships, fireworks, science experiences and water adventures to the city. Running from Thursday June 25 to Sunday June 28, the festival will once again take over the quayside and River Foyle with one of the biggest public events in the north west calendar, drawing thousands of visitors to the city across an action

SDLP leader Claire Hanna MP SDLP leader Claire Hanna MP is set to visit Cushendall next week for a public discussion event focused on the future of Northern Ireland, rural communities and the party’s vision for a “New Ireland”. The event, titled “In Conversation with Claire Hanna”, will take place at Tír na nÓg in Cushendall on Thursday 4 June at 7pm and is expected to centre on growing public frustration around political deadlock, pressures on public services and the challen

Jonathon Fulton (CCP Chair), Dr Paul Roelle (US Consulate), Richard Hanna (CCP) Cullybackey Community Partnership has unveiled a major new exhibition exploring the remarkable role ordinary people from the local area played in the events surrounding American Independence — uncovering stories that stretch from rural Mid and East Antrim to the inner circle of George Washington himself. The project, titled Ordinary People Extraordinary History – Cullybackey and American Independe

An urgent regional appeal has been launched to recruit more foster carers for children with disabilities across Northern Ireland, as more than 100 young people remain waiting for vital short break support. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced the first ever region-wide campaign for Short Breaks foster carers for children and young people with disabilities, amid growing demand across all five Health and Social Care Trust areas. There are currently 109 children and young

Neil Coleman (left) pictured with Ballymena United FC Chairman Chris Selwood Ballymena United FC has announced the appointment of experienced football communications specialist Neil Coleman as the club’s new Director of Communications and Marketing ahead of the 2026/2027 season. The appointment sees Coleman join the Sky Blues’ senior management structure with responsibility for overseeing the club’s communications strategy, media relations, digital platforms and wider brand d

McGroggan’s shop on William Street, serving up its last scoops of ice cream after 103 years in Ballymena town centre McGroggan’s owner Patricia McGroggan has spoken of the heartbreak behind the closure of the iconic Ballymena ice cream shop, revealing how soaring costs, collapsing town centre footfall, Brexit disruption and changing shopping habits ultimately brought an end to the 103-year-old family business. The William Street shop — famous across generations for its vanill

Cullybackey Orange Hall and arch stand proudly in the village Cullybackey is set to host a landmark moment in the local parading calendar next month as Ballymena District LOL No. 8 brings its first-ever District Mini 12th parade to the village in what organisers are describing as a major community celebration. The historic event, taking place on Saturday 27 June 2026, is expected to draw families, supporters, bands and spectators from across the wider Ballymena area for a day

Nine-year-old Ballymena boy Joshua Mairs who underwent emergency surgery in the Royal Victoria Hospital after being hit by an e-scooter in Cullybackey A nine-year-old boy has undergone surgery for a shattered elbow after being knocked down in a collision involving an e-scooter in Cullybackey — forcing his family to cancel a long-planned holiday and prompting a fresh warning to parents about the dangers of the illegal machines. Joshua Mairs was walking back from Cullybackey Pa

At the launch of the new Chatty Bench at Devenagh Way, Ballymena: Mid & East Antrim Mayor Jackson Minford; Councillor Brian Thompson; Roy McClean, Housing Executive; Marjorie Hawkins, Chair of the Loneliness Network; Councillor Bréanainn Lyness; with some local residents. Two new ‘Chatty Benches’ have been installed in Ballymena as part of an ongoing effort to tackle loneliness and social isolation across Mid and East Antrim. The latest benches — located at The Rectory Estat

Children at Ski Ability NI – a Craigavon-based charity that provides ski instruction on a dry ski slope for children with additional needs. The charity benefitted from Fibrus funding in 2025. Northern Ireland broadband provider Fibrus has launched a new £50,000 funding programme aimed at helping grassroots sports clubs across Northern Ireland secure vital equipment, improve facilities and expand opportunities for young people. Now entering its fourth year, the Fibrus Play it

Portrush RNLI Inshore Lifeboat ‘The Ken Blair’ Two kayakers were rescued off the north coast on Wednesday afternoon after getting into difficulty in the water near Ramore Head in Portrush. Volunteer crew members from RNLI were called into action after reports that two people had ended up in the sea alongside their kayaks just off the popular coastal headland. The incident prompted the launch of the Portrush RNLI Inshore Lifeboat, with the rescue operation unfolding shortly af

Kilrea Primary School Kilrea Primary School is set for significant changes under newly-submitted plans that would bring a temporary specialist teaching unit to the site alongside major safety upgrades aimed at tackling what planners describe as “significant safeguarding concerns”. The proposals, lodged with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, centre on growing educational needs at the school as well as long-standing worries over pupil safety linked to access arrangement

Miss NI Carly Wilson (bottom right) recently joined NI Hospice staff to launch Purple Dash Northern Ireland Hospice is calling on families across Northern Ireland to “dash for a cause” this June as the charity launches a major public campaign to celebrate 25 years of Children’s Hospice care — while also confronting the harsh financial reality facing one of the region’s most vital services. The charity is turning the entire month purple as part of a large-scale awareness and f

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Bryan O’Donnell, President, Cricket Ireland and Sarah Keane, Chief Executive Officer, Cricket Ireland at day one of the Ireland v New Zealand test match at Stormont. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said the future of cricket in Northern Ireland is “bright” as Belfast hosted a major international test match between Ireland and New Zealand at Stormont. The match marks only the second ever men’s test hosted at the famous east

16-year-old Jaidyn Rice was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in Bangor, Co Down on the evening of Tuesday 8th July 2025. The family of 16-year-old Jaidyn Rice are backing a push to change Northern Ireland’s road traffic laws after the teenager was killed in a collision that has left loved ones campaigning for tougher drug testing powers. Proposed amendments to the Justice Bill — being described as “Jaidyn’s Law” — would bring drug testing much more to the forefro