NEWS

One year after finishing second from bottom, Ballymena Norstar U13s have completed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in local youth sport by becoming Inline Hockey Ireland League Champions for 2026 — without losing a single match all season. The young Ballymena side sealed the title after a tense final-day showdown against the Dublin Flying Ducks in front of a packed crowd in Portadown, capping an unbeaten campaign that has turned the team into one of the standout success

Participants who gathered at 4am on Saturday morning in Ballymoney for the town’s second annual Dawn Walk More than 200 people stepped out onto the streets of Ballymoney before sunrise on Saturday morning, 16 May, as a growing community movement around mental health and connection returned for its second annual Dawn Walk. Organised by BEAM – Building Empowerment & Awareness to Mind, the early morning event saw participants gather at the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre at 4am befor

Young people across Northern Ireland are being warned that vaping to cope with exam pressure could actually make stress, anxiety and concentration problems worse, as concerns grow around rising mental health pressures among teenagers. Drug and alcohol harm reduction charity ASCERT says increasing numbers of young people may be turning to nicotine products during revision and exam season in an attempt to manage anxiety, tiredness and school-related stress. The warning comes as

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

Past participants who completed the Medical Administration Training Academy in preparation for employment in GP practices across Mid and East Antrim A free training programme aimed at helping local people secure jobs within GP practices across Mid and East Antrim is returning for a second consecutive year — but organisers say there is now just one week left to apply, with only a limited number of places remaining. The Medical Administration Training Academy, delivered by the

Northern Regional College, Ballymena Northern Regional College has celebrated some of Northern Ireland’s top emerging talent at a special reception in Ballymena, recognising apprentices who have achieved success on regional, national and international stages. The event, held at the College’s Ballymena campus, brought together award-winning apprentices, employers, lecturers and senior College leaders to mark a series of standout achievements across engineering, manufacturing a

Ballymena artist Heather Martin A Ballymena-based artist has secured new funding support to develop a stage play examining systemic misogyny within policing and medicine as part of a wider Northern Ireland arts initiative supporting D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creatives. Heather Martin is among 20 artists across Northern Ireland awarded £1,000 grants through the newly renamed Atypical Generation Fund, delivered by the University of Atypical with National Lottery fundi

A growing crisis in home care provision across Northern Ireland is leaving hundreds of vulnerable people waiting for support, with rural communities in North Antrim facing some of the sharpest pressures, according to comments made at Stormont this week. Speaking during an Assembly debate on Tuesday, 12 May, TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston warned that the situation could no longer be softened or downplayed, describing the current state of domiciliary care as a “crisis”. He

Family Farm Award winners James & Rachel Davison were presented with their award by Keith Halstead, Executive Director of the Royal Countryside Fund. A farming couple from Glenarm have been recognised on one of Northern Ireland agriculture’s biggest stages after winning a prestigious national award at this year’s Balmoral Show. James and Rachel Davison received the Royal Countryside Fund Family Farm Award at the 2026 M&S Select Farm Awards on Tuesday, May 13, in recognition o

Margaret Bell, former resident of Latharna House in Larne reflects on tower block life with Roy McClean, Housing Executive Assistant Area Manager, Mid and East Antrim. One of Larne’s most recognisable landmarks is about to disappear from the town’s skyline as demolition work begins on the towering Latharna House apartment block. For decades, the 16-storey Northern Ireland Housing Executive building stood prominently above Larne, visible to thousands of motorists travelling al

Autism diagnoses among school-age children in Northern Ireland have reached their highest recorded level, with new figures revealing 18,472 pupils are now identified as autistic — while politicians and families warn support systems are becoming overwhelmed. The latest annual prevalence report published by the Department of Health shows autism prevalence among school-age children rose to 6.2% during the 2025/26 school year. That represents an increase of 0.3 percentage points

Residents across the Borough are being encouraged to roll up their sleeves, plant for pollinators and help make local communities greener as the Mid and East Antrim In Bloom 2026 Community Competitions officially open for entries. With 12 free-to-enter categories and prizes available for both winners and runners-up, the annual initiative is once again inviting households, community groups and gardening enthusiasts to showcase the very best of local horticulture while supporti

British Heart Foundation Ballymena shop manager Maureen Beattie is urging Ballymena residents to donate quality, preloved summer stock to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) shop on Ballymoney Street to help fund lifesaving research. People across Ballymena are being urged to clear out wardrobes, shelves and spare rooms this spring as the British Heart Foundation launches a fresh appeal for quality donations to help fund lifesaving research. The charity’s Ballymoney Street sho

Families across Northern Ireland waiting for confirmation of school places for children with special educational needs are being offered direct one-to-one support through a new series of online drop-in sessions hosted by the Education Authority. The initiative comes amid growing pressure on the region’s SEN system, with demand for specialist placements continuing to rise sharply and thousands of additional places projected to be needed over the next decade. Parents and carers

Browns Bay on the east Antrim coast Visitors to Browns Bay are set to benefit from major new improvements later this year as Mid and East Antrim Borough Council prepares to begin construction of enhanced toilet, shower and accessibility facilities at the popular coastal site. Works are due to begin in early June 2026 and will deliver a significant upgrade for beach users, swimmers, tourists and people with additional needs visiting one of the borough’s best-known seaside loca

A commemorative ceramic Poppy Wreath made by prisoners in Maghaberry Prison. (Image: Michael Cooper) The chairperson of Northern Ireland’s Prison Officers Association has called on all 11 councils to formally recognise prison staff murdered while serving in the line of duty. The appeal comes after Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council approved plans for a permanent cenotaph memorial to prison officers ahead of this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations. The council area is

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Roy McClean, NIHE Assistant Area Manager for Mid and East Antrim, pictured outside Latharna House in Larne Demolition works on one of Larne’s most recognisable landmarks are set to begin within days, bringing the curtain down on a 16-storey tower block that has dominated the town skyline for more than 50 years. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed that work to demolish Latharna House will commence later this month after the Nor

Charleigh-Rose Havelin A Ballymena mother has spoken of the moment her nine-year-old daughter was rushed to Belfast by blue-light ambulance after weeks of headaches and relentless vomiting were finally revealed to be an aggressive brain tumour. For months, Jenna Havelin says her daughter Charleigh-Rose became increasingly unwell as the family desperately searched for answers, never imagining the little girl’s symptoms were being caused by medulloblastoma — the most common mal

Ballymena businessman Trevor Barr, Barr’s Butchers The owner of one of Ballymena’s long-established family businesses has paid tribute to the McKillen family following the closure of McKillens on Church Street, while also issuing a stark warning about the growing pressures facing traders across the town centre. Trevor Barr, of Barr’s Butchers on Ballymoney Street, said the closure of the well-known retailer was both personally sad and symbolic of the wider challenges now thre

Chief Superintendent Kelly Moore and Rhonda Geary, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society. Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the Eikon Exhibition Centre this week as the Balmoral Show returns for four days of farming, food, business and family entertainment — with the PSNI warning motorists to expect delays and plan ahead. Running from Wednesday 13 May to Saturday 16 May 2026, the annual event is one of the biggest fixtures in Northern Ireland’s rural calendar, draw