NEWS

McDonald’s Ballymena where McHappy Day will be celebrated this upcoming weekend Wednesday 23 September 2026 Northern Ireland has emerged as one of the UK’s most generous regions in a new survey released ahead of the first McHappy Day in the UK and Ireland this weekend. McDonald’s commissioned the research before the fundraising day on Saturday 26 September, when £1 from every qualifying main meal sold will be donated to Ronald McDonald House UK and Ronald McDonald House Irela

CGI design drawing for the proposed new i4C CleanTech Centre at St Patrick’s Link, in Ballymena. Tuesday 22 September 2026 Mid and East Antrim ratepayers face the continuing financial impact of an operating deficit at Ballymena’s proposed £27.3 million i4C Innovation and CleanTech Centre — but Council has refused to disclose how large it expects that deficit to be. The local authority has confirmed it will meet the operating deficit and that the commitment has already been in

Monday 21 September 2026 McDonald’s customers in Ballymena will be able to help families with seriously ill children simply by ordering a qualifying meal this Saturday, as the restaurant chain brings McHappy Day to Northern Ireland for the first time. The fundraising day takes place on Saturday 26 September, with £1 from every qualifying main menu meal sold at participating restaurants donated to Ronald McDonald House charities. Money raised will help provide free accommodati

Teachers across Northern Ireland are set to begin action short of strike from Monday, September 28, with restrictions potentially affecting extra-curricular activities, meetings, cover arrangements and communications outside teachers’ allocated working time. The escalation comes after months of negotiations over teacher and school leader workload, with unions arguing that stronger guarantees are needed to turn recommendations from an independent workload review into meaningfu

L-R: Jenny Marshall, Executive Director for Community Programmes, William McCaughey, Vice Chair of Agewell, Cora McQuillian, Dots Sales & Marketing Officer, Nigel McKeown, Dots Gardening Home & Life Assistant A new gardening and outdoor maintenance service has launched in Ballymena, offering practical help to older people and other local residents who may struggle to keep on top of their gardens. The service has been introduced by Dots, the social enterprise operated by Agewe

Monday 21 September 2026 Ryanair has demanded the immediate resignation of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe as a fresh air traffic control technical failure causes flight disruption at both Belfast International and Belfast City airports. The airline says more than 25,000 of its passengers are expected to be disrupted, with over 140 Ryanair flights delayed, and has called on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to remove Mr Rolfe if he does not step down voluntarily. The disr

Sunday 20 September 2026 M&S has confirmed its newly expanded Aldergrove store will reopen at 9am on Thursday 8 October following a major transformation that has increased the shop by 50%. The expansion into the neighbouring service station unit will bring more than 2,000 additional products to the store, alongside new facilities and a significantly wider M&S Food range. Bigger store and wider food range Among the changes will be a larger in-store bakery, upgraded coffee-to-g

Saturday 19 September 2026 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans has returned to the top of the bestseller chart at Waterstone’s Ballymena, leading a crime-heavy Top 10 featuring some of the biggest names in contemporary fiction. Ann Cleeves takes second place with The Killing Stones, while Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye climbs into the top three ahead of Lyra Parish’s Fall I Want. The latest update also brings two half-price offers, details of the next Saturday Storytime and Fiction B

Anne Irwin, Regional President; Mary Waide, National Vice President; and Anne McLarnon, Regional Vice President; are pictured at the launch of a volunteer recruitment campaign which aims to encourage people from across the Region to join the Society and make a difference in their local communities. Friday 18 September 2026 People across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to give some of their time to supporting people and families experiencing poverty and social exclusion,

Sitting Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan with the party’s deputy Dáil leader and finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TDPearse Doherty TD. Friday 18 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected sitting MLA Philip McGuigan to contest the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim, as parties begin preparing for voters to go to the polls next May. McGuigan, who currently chairs Stormont’s Health Committee, confirmed his candidacy at a party event in the Marine H

(L-R) Caroline McKenna, Foodies Spokesperson, Eimear O'Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland Primary schools across County Antrim can now register for a new free food education programme aimed at helping young children build healthy eating habits and become more confident about fruit and vegetables. Lidl Foodies is open to schools across Northern Ireland and provides teachers of children aged four to seven with ready-made lesson plans, activit

Hannah Buchanan, Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist Blood cancer can affect people of all ages and its symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for other illnesses, prompting the Northern Health and Social Care Trust to urge people to know the warning signs and seek medical advice if something does not feel right. September marks Blood Cancer Awareness Month, with health professionals using the campaign to highlight symptoms including unusual bruising or bleeding, extreme tire

Team Harryville Primary School ahead of their Dragon Boat Race challenge this weekend. Staff from Harryville Primary School in Ballymena have raised more than £2,500 so far for Northern Ireland Hospice — with donations still coming in ahead of their Dragon Boat challenge on the River Lagan this weekend. The school team will take to the water in Belfast on Saturday, September 19, as part of the charity’s Dragon Boat Race, joining teams from businesses, clubs and organisations

Liam Neeson has opened up about his 'rage' at the Catholic scandal that inspired the new film 'The Lost Children of Tuam' (Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) Thursday 17 September 2026 Ballymena actor Liam Neeson will join Patrick Kielty as The Late Late Show returns on Friday night, discussing a new film about historian Catherine Corless and her campaign to uncover the truth about the children of Tuam. The Hollywood star will appear alongside Corless on

Thursday 17 September 2026 Around 860,000 households across Northern Ireland will receive £63 off their electricity costs from 6 October, with support applied automatically to bill-paying and keypad customers. The Household Electricity Discount Scheme is not means-tested and the amount does not depend on how much electricity a household uses. No application is needed. For pre-pay and keypad customers, there is an important detail: anyone wanting the full £63 credit in one go

Broadcaster and musician Malachi Cush returns with a new series of Healing Sounds on BBC Radio Ulster Wednesday 16 September 2026 A powerful new series of ‘Healing Sounds’, presented by broadcaster and musician Malachi Cush, begins on BBC Radio Ulster tomorrow night with an hour-long programme marking 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. The 12-part series will bring together deeply personal stories of grief, trauma, illness, loss and resilience, with guests choosing four songs t

The newly launched M&S Too Good To Go bakery Surprise Bags Tuesday 15 September 2026 M&S Ballymena shoppers can now pick up more than £10 worth of surplus bakery products for £3.80 as the retailer launches a new partnership with Too Good To Go across Northern Ireland. The Ballymena store is one of 13 M&S Food locations taking part, with Surprise Bags containing three to four products from its in-store bakery that would otherwise be left unsold at the end of the day. Customers

Tuesday 15 September 2026 Nearly 8,000 Baby Loss Certificates have been issued to bereaved parents and families in Northern Ireland in the first four months of a scheme designed to formally recognise babies lost before 24 weeks of pregnancy. The Baby Loss Certificate Scheme launched in June 2026, offering families a tangible acknowledgement of a loss which historically may not have been formally recorded. Certificates are available to anyone who has experienced the loss of a

Tuesday 15 September 2026 Teachers, parents and pupils across Northern Ireland are being asked to share their experiences of behaviour, disruption and safety in schools as part of a review that will shape new government policy. Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a Call for Evidence seeking views on the scale of behaviour problems, their impact on learning and staff wellbeing, and what schools need to improve standards. The exercise forms part of the Department of Educ

CGI image of how the new development could transform the streetscape in Ballymena town centre. Final design drawings with a full planning permission application have not yet been submitted. Plans for a major redevelopment in the heart of Ballymena have been unveiled, proposing 79 new apartments alongside refurbished Church Street shops, a community hub and a landscaped pedestrian route through the town centre. The emerging “Meeting House Mews” scheme is being brought forward