NEWS

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

Sozopol old town on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria Thursday 08 October 2026 Northern Ireland holidaymakers can now book their summer 2028 getaways, with Jet2 launching flights and holidays to 21 destinations from Belfast International Airport – including a brand-new direct route to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The airline and tour operator has released more than 618,000 seats for summer 2028, with up to 56 departing flights each week during peak periods, giving families and c

Thursday 08 October 2026 The Belfast childhood of one of the world's most celebrated authors, C.S. Lewis, will take centre stage in a new RTÉ documentary tonight (Thursday 8 October), exploring how his Irish upbringing helped shape the imagination behind The Chronicles of Narnia. Former Ireland rugby international Andrew Trimble, who is also a theology graduate, presents The Lion, The Witch and the Ulsterman, tracing the writer's roots in East Belfast and examining why Lewis

Thursday 08 October 2026 Drivers in Northern Ireland will be able to compare petrol and diesel prices on Google Maps from today, with the government estimating that shopping around could save households with a car around £40 a year. Near real-time pump prices are being added to the app across the UK on Thursday 8 October, making it easier to check nearby forecourts before filling up. The feature uses Fuel Finder data, which the government says now covers around 99% of all fue

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

Adam, Jade, Nigel and Lata Wednesday 07 October 2026 The people behind the uniform are taking centre stage in a new podcast series giving the public a more personal insight into policing in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland has launched its first-ever podcast, ‘PSNI Beyond the Badge’, with a 10-part series featuring officers and staff speaking directly about their experiences, challenges and lives beyond policing. Officers from BBC’s Peelers open the se

Wednesday 07 October 2026 Northern Ireland is moving towards a major change in how puppies and kittens can be sold, with new rules designed to make it harder for puppy farms and irresponsible breeders to hide behind third-party dealers. Under proposals approved for Northern Ireland’s own version of Lucy’s Law, people buying a puppy or kitten will generally have to deal directly with the breeder and see the young animal with its mother at the place where it was bred. For puppi

Wednesday 7 October 2026 The roll-out of blue recycling bins across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and surrounding areas is scheduled to be completed by 31 July 2027, a Mid and East Antrim Borough Council committee report has revealed. A Performance Improvement Plan presented to a recent meeting of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee at The Braid in Ballymena sets out the timetable for the change. Blue bins ready to roll Councillors were told the mixed

Tuesday 06 October 2026 Students are being offered a night of exclusive discounts, competitions, giveaways and entertainment today as Victoria Square brings back its popular Student Social. The event which runs from 4pm to 7pm will combine one-night-only savings across fashion, food, beauty and more with interactive challenges giving students the chance to walk away with prizes. Student ID will be required to access the offers. Five minutes to spend £100 Among the headline at

Dr Konstantinos Xyntaris invites those with an interest in tree planting to attend the Growers Gathering at CAFRE this month at Greenmount Campus. Monday 05 October 2026 Tree growers, foresters and others involved in woodland creation across Northern Ireland are being invited to Greenmount Campus in Antrim for an industry event exploring the future of tree production and planting. The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) will host ‘A Growers’ Gathering fo

Krakow, Poland, Main Market square in the winter season, during Christmas fairs decorated with Christmas tree. Sunday 04 October 2026 Northern Ireland travellers can now book Christmas market flights from Belfast International Airport to Krakow and Vienna for the 2027 festive season. Jet2 has released almost 6,000 seats across the two routes for Winter 2027/28, with both destinations served twice a week in the run-up to Christmas. Two festive destinations Flights to Krakow an

Hannah Martin, Sustainable Ruminant Genetics with dairy farmer Andrew McCollum, Ballycairn Farms discuss plans for Session 2 at the Dairy Conference 2026: Driving Profitability, Delivering Sustainability. Sunday 04 October 2026 Northern Ireland dairy farmers will be shown how genetic information can be turned into practical breeding decisions to improve herd performance, profitability and sustainability at a major industry conference in Antrim later this month. Dairy Conferen

(L-R) BSc (Hons) Food Innovation Management students, Olivia Acheson, Cookstown, and Ellen Nelson, Tobermore, along with Mr. Fintan McCann, Head of Food Education invite you to attend CAFRE’s Open Week from Tuesday 06 October to Saturday 10 October 2026 at Loughry Campus, Cookstown, Greenmount Campus, Antrim and Enniskillen Campus Sunday 04 October 2026 Students considering their next move after school can explore courses, facilities and campus life at the College of Agricult

Northern Trust dietitian Erin Turner Sunday 04 October 2026 People eligible for a free flu vaccine can attend walk-in clinics across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area from Monday 5 October, including a weekly clinic at Braid Valley Hospital in Ballymena. The Trust is encouraging those eligible to take up the vaccine as winter approaches, warning that while flu is a common infection, it can spread easily and leave some people seriously unwell. Vaccination remains

Sunday 04 October 2026 A new RTÉ Investigates documentary will examine concerns over regulation of the fertility sector in Ireland, including whether the promotion of controversial treatments could give vulnerable patients false hope. The year-long investigation follows couples seeking publicly funded fertility treatment and women who say they have been left without the support they need, while examining the rapid growth of the private fertility industry. RTÉ says undercover

Saturday 03 October 2026 Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson has taken the number one spot at Waterstone’s Ballymena, as the store celebrates the completion of its refit and welcomes readers in to discover its refreshed look. Rebecca Yarros’ Threshing Day enters the chart at number two following its release, while last week’s bestseller, Charles Spencer’s Swan Song, remains popular in third place. The latest Top 10 offers an especially atmospheric selection for autumn, with ho

UFU deputy president Clement Lynch, who is urging farmers to have their say on DAERA’s bTB wildlife intervention consultation. Saturday 03 October 2026 Northern Ireland farmers are being urged to have their say on the future of bovine TB controls before a major consultation closes next week, as the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) calls for wildlife intervention to form part of efforts to eradicate the disease. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) c

Saturday 03 October 2026 There were 560 reports of social media and email account hacking in Northern Ireland during the 2025/26 financial year, as police urge people to take simple steps to stop criminals gaining access to their digital lives. Police say compromised accounts can give fraudsters access to personal information and trusted networks of family and friends, allowing them to impersonate victims and ask contacts for money or promote bogus offers. Detective Inspector

Saturday 03 October 2026 People looking for love online are being warned never to send money to someone they have only met through the internet, after romance scams resulted in reported losses of more than £814,000 in Northern Ireland last year. In 2025, 61 dating scams were reported in Northern Ireland, with victims reporting combined losses of £814,400 — an average of more than £13,000 per report. Police believe the true scale of the crime could be higher because some victi

Friday 02 October 2026 Smokers across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to use Stoptober as their starting point to quit for good, with more than 500 free support services available through pharmacies, GP practices, health trusts and community settings. Evidence highlighted by the Public Health Agency (PHA) shows that people who stop smoking for 28 days are much more likely to quit permanently, while getting professional support can further improve the chances of success.