NEWS

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt are pictured with Anne-Marie Kelly during a visit to the Kelly home which was modified for Anne-Marie’s son Conor through the Disabled Facilities Grant. A County Down family has spoken of the “life-changing” impact of major home adaptations funded through Northern Ireland’s Disabled Facilities Grant, as two Stormont ministers pledged further reforms to strengthen support for households living with disability.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured with Mark Graham, Chief Executive of Co-Ownership. More people and families across Northern Ireland could soon find it easier to step onto the property ladder after Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced an increase in the Co-Ownership property value limit. From 14 April 2026, the maximum value of a property that can be purchased through the Co-Ownership scheme will rise from £210,000 to £215,000, a move aimed at widening ac

A major €40million funding programme aimed at transforming communities and strengthening relationships in Mid and East Antrim, across Northern Ireland and border regions is now fully open — offering local groups a rare chance to turn ideas into real-world impact. The PEACEPLUS Change Maker Funding Programme will provide grants of up to €100,000 for grassroots initiatives designed to bring people together across communities and borders, with a strong focus on building lasting

Angela, John and Jim, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with (L-R) Angela Mulholland, West Bann Development, Jim McIlroy, Harryville Men’s Shed and John Hunter, Community Sports Network, Shankill at a!ln event in Ballymena. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has praised the “anything but small” impact of community investment across Northern Ireland during a visit to Ballymena, where local organisations shared how government funding is helping transform services, creat

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Julia Cleeland, Operations Director, Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service, and Paul Frew MLA at a recent visit to Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service. A major programme designed to help people access debt advice earlier and more easily will continue into the next financial year after strong early results across Northern Ireland. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed that the Integrated Advice Partnership F

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Head Boy, Jake Quigley, Head Girl, Emma-Louise White and Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen at his recent visit to Antrim Grammar School to see Northern Ireland Screen’s creative education and careers pipeline. Young people in Northern Ireland could find their future careers in the rapidly growing screen and creative industries, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said during a visit to Antrim Grammar Sc

Shutters down: The changing face of Ballymena town centre. Church Street, Ballymena. Business leaders across Mid and East Antrim have issued a stark warning to councillors: town centres are entering a period of accelerating decline — and without urgent intervention the damage could become irreversible. In coordinated correspondence sent directly by email to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s elected representatives, the chairs of Larne Business Forum and Ballymena Business

Senior officials from the Department for Communities will face further scrutiny at Stormont this week after a key Assembly committee criticised the department’s latest update on tackling child poverty as “wholly inadequate”. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recalled departmental representatives to provide fresh oral evidence on Thursday, 12 March, amid mounting concern about the pace of progress on the Child Poverty Strategy in Northern Ireland. The move follows a stro

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured at the launch of the Northern Ireland Football Fund Grassroots Facilities Programme Pilot Scheme with players and the Chairman of Wellington Rec Football (l-r) Royce Balmer, Rachael-anne Seymour, Kenny Thompson (chairman) and Ben Tilney. A £9million funding injection aimed at transforming grassroots football facilities across Northern Ireland has been unveiled by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons — with grants of up to £1.5million n

Pictured at The Music Yard in Larne are (L-R) Music Yard founder Thomas Hamilton, JobStart participant Eamon McElroy and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. More than 1,200 new opportunities have been created under the latest JobStart scheme, with Communities Minister Gordon Lyons welcoming what he described as the “wide range of opportunities” now available to people seeking a route back into work. Since launching in October 2025, 1,086 employers have signed up to the schem

Pictured at the Veteran Information Roadshow event in Ballymena are (L-R) Charlie Marno, Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish Regiment, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, Veterans Commissioner David Johnstone and Tricia Robinson, Royal Armed Medical Core Serving personnel, veterans and their families in Northern Ireland are set to benefit from a new dedicated advice service designed to help them access the support and entitlements available to them. The announcement was ma

The 2026 Líofa Gaeltacht Bursary Scheme is now open for applications, the Department for Communities has announced, offering financial support to eligible students and adult learners to attend Irish-language courses in Gaeltacht areas. The scheme provides attendees with an opportunity to immerse themselves in an Irish speaking community, increase their knowledge and use of Irish through attending classes, and take part in a wide range of cultural activities including sport an

Nexus NI has been awarded the contract to manage the Domestic and Sexual Abuse (DSA) Helpline, a free, confidential 24/7 support service for anyone impacted by domestic and/or sexual abuse in Northern Ireland. The contract was jointly awarded by the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Department for Communities. It will run for an initial three-year period, followed by two optional extension periods of two years each. 24/7 support for victims and survivors The Dom

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured in his office signing the Northern Ireland Football Fund Letter of Offers. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced the first funding offers under the Northern Ireland Football Fund (NIFF), bringing a welcome boost to football clubs across Northern Ireland. Among the 20 clubs progressing through the Performance Programme, Ballymena United, Larne FC , and Carrick Rangers are set to receive crucial support to refine their b

View of the new central Culture Hub from the main entrance The Ulster Folk Museum is set for a major transformation after Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced a £50 million investment aimed at securing its future for generations to come. The funding will support delivery of the Reawakening Project, a large-scale redevelopment designed to modernise facilities, improve access to nationally significant collections and strengthen the museum’s role in helping people connect

Pictured at the President Arthur Homestead in Cullybackey are David Gilliland, Ulster-Scots Agency; Richard Hanna, Cullybackey Community Partnership; Jonathan McGrandle, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council; and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. A major heritage project in Cullybackey, centred on the ancestral home of a former US President, has been awarded funding as part of a wide-ranging programme to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence

Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (CGNI) has confirmed that the Ulster Banner will continue to be used as the flag representing Northern Ireland athletes at the Commonwealth Games, following formal guidance from the Minister for Communities. The decision brings to an end days of intense political scrutiny and public debate after proposals emerged suggesting the traditional flag could be replaced with a corporate-style logo. In a statement issued on Tuesday (13 January 2026)

PRONI Offices in Belfast Public records dating from 2002 and 2003 — alongside material from earlier years — have been made publicly available online for the first time, marking a significant expansion of digital access to Northern Ireland’s recent history. The newly released documents have been added to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) website as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Ulster University. The

Latharna House high rise block of flats in Larne. Mid and East Antrim councillors have been given assurances by the Housing Executive over the future demolition of Larne’s last remaining high-rise flats. Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday evening, Housing Executive chief executive Grainia Long was responding to a query from Larne Lough Alliance Councillor Maeve Donnelly regarding the unoccupied

The Battle Garden associated with the Moravian Church in Kilwarlin, Co Down. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced the formal protection of several “hidden gems” across Northern Ireland, following the addition of a number of historically significant sites to the official schedule of monuments and list of protected buildings. The newly designated sites span multiple counties and reflect what the Minister described as “a microcosm of our rich heritage”. Among them a