NEWS

Pictured launching a new initiative aimed at stamping out smoking on hospital sites are Northern Trust Medical Director, Dr George Gardiner; Round Tower Integrated Primary School and Nursery Unit Principal, Mrs Monica Turner with pupils from P2 and P5 Local schoolchildren are being invited to lend their voices to a new campaign aimed at discouraging smoking outside hospital entrances — with the hope that hearing a child’s message could make smokers pause, reflect, and even co

A consultation is launching on the proposed site of mix use development on former publicly owned land at Ballee Playing Fields, in Ballymena . A new chapter in the long-running debate over the future of Ballee Playing Fields in Ballymena is about to begin, after Mid and East Antrim Borough Council approved a Planning Application Notice (PAN) for a major mixed-use development on the site. The land off Ballee Road West — formerly owned by the council — could be transformed into

(L-R): Tracy Duffy (City of Derry Airport), Breige Mulholland (Air Ambulance NI), Carlus McWilliams (H&A Group), Steve Frazer (City of Derry Airport), Ian Crowe (Air Ambulance NI Trustee), Mareanne Bradley (H&A Group), Martin Collins (H&A Group) and Maressa McWilliams (City of Derry Airport). An airport runway will once again become a racetrack for a life-saving cause this spring as runners and walkers prepare to take on the Air Ambulance NI 5K Runway Run at City of Derry Air

Channel 4's Location, Location, Location –a property show hosted by experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer Channel 4’s flagship property show Location, Location, Location is heading back to Northern Ireland — and this time, it’s the house hunters who are being called to step forward. The long-running primetime programme is casting for its 2026 series and is actively looking for individuals, couples and families across Northern Ireland who are ready to buy this May. For anyo

Ulster Unionist Party Leader, North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows People living with Parkinson’s in Ballymena are being invited to speak directly to their local MLA about the pressures they are facing — particularly around delayed healthcare appointments, treatments and medications. On Friday 20 March, Jon Burrows, MLA for North Antrim and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, will meet members of the Parkinson’s community at Ballymena North Business Centre from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. The

Announcing the closing date for the application period for Innovation Farms Kenneth Johnston, CAFRE Innovation Farms programme manager. A new network of Innovation Farms is being launched — and local dairy and beef producers are being urged to step forward before the deadline closes this week. The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has opened applications for farmers to become part of its Innovation Farm programme, a key strand of efforts to accelerate

More than 3,500 children and young people are currently living in foster care across Northern Ireland — and the number is rising year on year. Behind that statistic are real lives, real stories and children like eight-year-old Kaiden, who is waiting for a place to call home. There are currently 3,514 children and young people in foster care in Northern Ireland. As demand continues to grow, HSC NI Foster Care says the need for more foster carers who can provide a safe and nurt

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

A €7.5 million cross-border initiative designed to tackle isolation, inactivity and poor wellbeing in rural communities has been officially launched — with Mid & East Antrim and Causeway Coast & Glens set to play a key role. Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust has welcomed the introduction of the new ‘Walking for All’ programme, supported by PEACEPLUS and managed by Special EU Programmes Body , and led by Outscape . The programme was launched on Friday, 27 February 2026 at

Jill Stewart (Jill Bakes) with her perfectly fluffy pancakes With Pancake Day falling on Tuesday, February 17, home bakers across Ballymena will be reaching for their mixing bowls in preparation for one of the tastiest days of the year. And according to local food blogger Jill Stewart , known to her thousands of followers on Instagram as Jill Bakes , mastering a good pancake recipe is a true kitchen game changer. “I’m Jill,” she says, “trying to help you be better in the kitc

Fantastic fun at the Belfast Brunch Co. Party in 2025! The event returns next month to Tullyglas Hotel in Ballymena. Belfast Brunch Co. will return to Ballymena on Friday 13 March 2026, bringing its high-energy brunch party to the Tullyglass House Hotel in support of Northern Ireland Hospice and its Children’s Hospice services. The adults-only event follows strong public demand after £21,000 was raised during last year’s fundraiser, with organisers promising to bring the fee

Rescue dog Tyson, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was involved in a collision with a vehicle A senior rescue dog named Tyson is facing the loss of a leg after being struck by a car while straying in Ballymena, prompting an urgent fundraising appeal by local not-for-profit rescue The Half Way Dog House to cover his life-saving veterinary treatment. Tyson, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is currently being held in a local pound and is expected to be released to The Half Way Dog Ho

The Adair Arms Hotel, Ballymena marks 180 years The Adair Arms Hotel is celebrating nearly 180 years of continuous service in Ballymena, marking a remarkable milestone for one of Northern Ireland’s oldest hotels and a landmark that has stood at the centre of town life since 1846. Founded by Sir Robert Adair and designed by renowned architect Sir Charles Lanyon at a cost of £3,650, the Adair Arms was built at a time when Ballymena was emerging as an important industrial and ci

Lucy McAleese was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when she was a toddler. The disease is rare, affecting around 8 in every 100,000 children under the age of 5 in the UK. A young woman from Ballymena is speaking publicly for the first time about growing up with a rare and potentially life-threatening heart condition, in a bid to raise awareness that heart disease does not only affect older people. Lucy McAleese , 22, has lived with Kawasaki disease since she was a toddler — a

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, has announced Creative Industries Week 2026 which will run from the 16 February with a programme of events taking place. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has announced the return of its Creative Industries Week, a borough-wide celebration of creativity, innovation and opportunity, running from 16 February 2026. Designed to support people at every stage of their creative journey, the week will feature a diverse progr

A new free Digital Skills training programme aimed at people who are deaf or have hearing loss is being rolled out across Northern Ireland, with accessible sessions taking place in local libraries throughout February and March. The initiative, delivered by AdaptNI and supported by the Department of Finance, is designed to tackle digital exclusion by providing deaf-aware, visual and practical training tailored to the everyday needs of people who often face barriers when acces

Leading UK manufacturer Wrightbus is opening its doors to the next generation of engineering and manufacturing talent as part of Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week and National Apprenticeship Week, with two dedicated careers events at its Ballymena headquarters. The bus maker will host an Apprenticeship Open Night and a dedicated Insight Day, offering up to 60 individuals the opportunity to explore careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering across a wide range of dis

(L-R) Tina McMullan, Business and Improvement Advisor ETTNI, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick and Jessica Smyth, Business Development Project Officer LMP Fully funded programme offers local electrical professionals qualifications in solar PV, battery storage, and EV charging installation Fifteen qualified electricians from the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough are set to benefit from a groundbreaking new training initiative designed to prepare the l

Staff from The Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough, who exhibited on the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council stand at the Balmoral Show 2025. Food and drink producers and visitor experience businesses across Mid and East Antrim are being offered the chance to showcase their products to tens of thousands of visitors at the Balmoral Show 2026. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has opened Expressions of Interest for local businesses to take part in the NI Food Pavilion at the Balmora

BBC Radio Ulster’s much-loved choral celebration, BBC Sing!, is set to return in 2026 with a brand-new four-part series recorded at venues across Northern Ireland. The programme, which brings together community choirs from right across the region, will feature four special recording events taking place in Ballymena, Newry, Omagh and Newtownabbey . Each event will see a local BBC community choir take centre stage, celebrating the power of collective singing and the unique spir