NEWS

Sunday 18 October 2026 Families across Northern Ireland whose children were losing childcare subsidy support because of their July or August birthdays will now be able to continue receiving financial assistance while their children remain in Primary 7. Education Minister Paul Givan has confirmed changes to the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS), addressing an inconsistency that left some families without support despite their children remaining in the same scho

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Dawn Huggins opened this weekend’s National Brick Events spectacular in Coleraine, promising LEGO fun for all ages. Friday 16 October 2026 Coleraine is preparing for a weekend of extraordinary creations, colourful displays and family fun as one of the UK’s major LEGO-themed event organisers brings its spectacular brick-building experience to Northern Ireland for the very first time. National Brick Events will take over three venue

Friday 16 October 2026 Ballymena town centre is preparing for a frightfully fun afternoon this Halloween, with free treats, spooky characters, fancy dress and family entertainment all part of a popular event returning for 2026. The Ballymena Halloween Trail is back on Friday 30 October, this time with a Haunted Harvest theme that will send families exploring the town centre, collecting treats from participating businesses and showing off their best Halloween costumes. Organis

Friday 16 October 2026 The future of family farming in Northern Ireland is under growing pressure, with almost nine in ten farmers reporting increased stress over inheritance tax changes and more than four in ten already cutting back on investment, according to a major new survey. The findings, published by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), reveal deep concerns about whether farms built up over generations can survive being passed from parents to children, with some families a

Thursday 15 October 2026 Nearly 900 children and young people are in care across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area, with numbers continuing to rise despite a substantial reduction in children on the Child Protection Register. New Department of Health statistics show that 899 children were in care across the Trust area, which includes Ballymena, Antrim, Coleraine and surrounding communities, at 31 March 2026 – an increase of 20 compared with the previous year. At

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald is pictured with Louise Taylor, Founder of Little Forget Me Nots Trust, at an event in Lurgan to remember babies and children who have died. Thursday 15 October 2026 Families affected by pregnancy and baby loss in Northern Ireland now have access to new workplace rights and formal recognition of their loss, following the introduction of two significant support measures earlier this year. The changes include up to two weeks of miscarriage

Pictured are (L-R): Men’s Advisory Project Chief Executive Rhonda Lusty, the Housing Executive’s Steve Anderson, John McCandless, Dixie-Jo McNally, Elaine McMeekin, DCI Colin Neill from the PSNI and Karen Devlin from Women’s Aid NI. Wednesday 14 October 2026 The Northern Ireland Housing Executive is bringing together housing providers, police and specialist support organisations for a week of events aimed at tackling domestic abuse, highlighting its links to homelessness and

Tuesday 13 October 2026 Antrim Castle Gardens will be transformed into a spectacular festive wonderland this December as the popular Enchanted Winter Garden returns with new rides, dazzling light displays and a host of Christmas attractions for families. Running from 2 to 28 December, the event will also offer discounted tickets for Antrim and Newtownabbey residents, dedicated inclusive evenings and free shuttle buses to help visitors enjoy the festivities. With tickets start

Tuesday 13 October 2026 A free two-day Halloween event in Ballymena will include a dedicated day for children and young people with additional needs, alongside pumpkin picking, a disco and a sensory corner. Turning Point NI’s Halloween Inclusive Spooky Bash takes place in the Des Allen Suite at Ballymena Showgrounds on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October, with activities for residents and families from the Ballymena Borough. Monday’s sessions are exclusively for children and you

Saturday 10 October 2026 From gruesome crimes and ghostly encounters to deadly plagues and dreadful school days, some of Coleraine’s darkest stories are set to be uncovered in a new exhibition opening just in time for Halloween. Coleraine Museum is inviting families and history enthusiasts to discover the town’s more sinister past through ‘Coleraine’s Horrid History’, opening at Coleraine Town Hall on Friday 30 October. The exhibition will explore centuries of unusual and uns

Friday 09 October 2026 Families who have experienced the loss of a baby or child are being invited to come together for a series of remembrance events across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area during Baby Loss Awareness Week, from 9–15 October. Causeway Hospital in Coleraine will be illuminated in blue and pink to mark the annual awareness campaign, which offers families opportunities to remember precious lives, share memories and find support. Events include a sp

Wednesday 07 October 2026 Coleraine is preparing for a landmark weekend of LEGO® fun as National Brick Events makes its Northern Ireland debut — bringing its biggest-ever format to the town. The event on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October will be the organisation’s first anywhere on the island of Ireland, as well as its first two-day event and the first to be staged across multiple locations. Running from 9am to 4pm on both days, the event will take over Coleraine Leisure Cent

Mum Emma with 10-year-old son Tommy Monday 05 October 2026 A Ballycastle mum has described how her family relies completely on relatives for childcare for her ten-year-old son with additional needs, as a new report highlights the barriers facing families raising disabled children. Emma Linton and her husband both work in hospitality, often finishing late in the evening, but she says they have been unable to find formal childcare capable of providing the specialist support the

Thursday 01 October 2026 Free tickets for the City Walls section of Derry Halloween’s 40th anniversary trail will be released at noon on Monday, October 5, ahead of three evenings of circus, aerial performances and folklore-inspired encounters. The Awakening the Walled City Trail returns from October 28–30, running nightly from 6pm to 9pm across the historic city centre. Only the City Walls section requires a ticket. Visitors can explore all other trail locations without book

Thursday 01 October 2026 Parents and carers are being urged to stop using baby sleeping bags with hoods or without armholes for unsupervised sleep because they could cause overheating or suffocation. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has issued a safety alert covering products marketed or intended for babies to sleep in while in a cot or crib. It warns that the risks can lead to serious injury or death. The alert follows nearly 50 recalls or product safety re

Tuesday 29 September 2026 Families are being invited to get building, exploring and solving this October as The Great Coleraine Build brings hands-on Bricks4Kidz sessions, a free town centre fairytale trail and the chance to win a family trip to LEGOLAND®. The programme, organised by Coleraine Connect with support from Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, begins with 13 large brick-built fairytale displays appearing in businesses across Coleraine from Thursday, 1 October.

Galgorm Collection will become the first hospitality employer in Northern Ireland to provide its employees with access to subsidised childcare. Pictured from left: Katherine Baillie and her daughter Lily; Bronagh Creery, Senior Director, Sleepy Hollow Group; Nikolai Koplewsky, Director of Sleepy Hollow Group; and Laura Millar, People and Development Associate Director at Galgorm Collection. Monday 28 September 2026 Galgorm Collection is introducing subsidised childcare for it

Sloane, aged five-years-old, from Ballymena is delighted to land his first fish Saturday 26 September 2026 More than 50 children and their families have spent the summer discovering fishing, wildlife and the hidden world beneath local waterways through a programme run by Antrim & District Angling Association (ADAA). The Outdoor Learning and Nature Development Days combined hands-on environmental education with an introduction to angling, giving many of the young participants

Friday 25 September 2026 Families across Mid and East Antrim can look forward to three days of Halloween entertainment this October, with fireworks, spooky trails, live performances, fancy dress, discos and town centre activities planned across Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus. Events will run from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October, with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council publishing an evolving programme of family-focused activities taking place throughout the borough. Th

Together for Families launch at St Comgall's Belfast. L-R: Paul Sweeney, Northern Ireland Chair, The National Lottery Community Fund; Naomi Long MLA Minister of Justice; Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director, The National Lottery Community Fund; Robbie Butler MLA Minister of Health; Jacinta Linden, Together for Families Co-Director; Eilis McDaniel, Director of Social Care Reform, Department of Health; Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, Emma Li