NEWS

(L-R) Denise McVeigh from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council's Parks and Open Spaces team, PSNI Inspector Colin Ash, PCSP Chair Cllr Lauren Gray, PCSP Vice Chair Sharon Maxwell, and Local Neighbourhood PSNI Officer Julie McKeown. (Images: Steven McAuley) Women across Mid and East Antrim are being encouraged to take part in a special night-time personal safety walk in Larne this December, as part of a partnership initiative between the borough’s Policing and Community Safety

Santa arriving in Ballymena last weekend Mid and East Antrim is set to sparkle this weekend as the festive season continues in full swing, with Larne and Carrickfergus preparing to burst into life with music, markets, parades and magical Christmas cheer at their annual Christmas Lights Switch-On celebrations. Both towns will host a wide range of family-friendly entertainment, live performances, festive characters and crafts – with the much-anticipated arrival of Santa adding

Meat and other foodstuffs are among the items most frequently stolen from shops in Mid and East Antrim, according to crime prevention officer Paul Black. The PSNI officer told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there has been “a big increase in shoplifting” in the borough since the pandemic. “There are two types – those who are desperate for food and those who are stealing to order,” he said. Speaking at a public meeting of the Mid and East Antrim Policing and Comm

PSNI Chief Inspector Siobhan Watt, PCSP Vice Chair Sharon Maxwell, PCSP Chair Councillor Lauren Gray, District Electoral Area Manager Ballymena and Lead for PCSP Jane Dunlop, and NIFRS Station Commander Johnston Birrell. (Image: Steven McAuley / McAuley Multimedia) Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) is joining forces with the PSNI and Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) to encourage everyone to play their part in improving road

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has secured funding from The Executive Office to support community relations initiatives following recent public disorder in Ballymena and Larne. According to the council’s funding application , “civil unrest and public disorder occurred in the Ballymena and Larne areas following a peaceful protest which was arranged after an alleged attack on a young girl by members of a minority community. The protest focused on the message of ‘Ending Vio

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, officially launches the Borough's Christmas celebrations, marking the start of the festive season. A Season of Christmas Magic Coming to Mid and East Antrim Mid and East Antrim Borough is set to sparkle this festive season, with a packed programme of Christmas lights switch-ons, parades, markets, and family entertainment bringing festive cheer to towns and villages across the borough. The celebrations begin this Saturd

Photos: Jason Bain / RNLI Larne Larne RNLI launched its all-weather lifeboat on Saturday afternoon (9 November) to assist four divers stranded after their rib suffered engine failure off the County Antrim coast. The volunteer crew launched the Dr John McSparran lifeboat at 1.47pm at the request of HM Coastguard, after one of the divers onboard the rib raised the alarm. Coxswain Barry Kirkpatrick, Mechanic Scott Leitch, and crew members Jordan McIlhinney, Catherine Lee, Ross

Larne Lifeboat Dr John McSparran (Image: Jason Bain/RNLI Larne) The volunteer crew of Larne RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat Dr John McSparran on Friday afternoon (7 November) following reports of a yacht in difficulty off the County Antrim coast. At 1.26pm, HM Coastguard requested the launch after a crew member onboard the yacht raised the alarm. Conditions at the time were described as fine, with light winds and calm seas. Among those responding was volunteer crew m

An act of Remembrance at the Ballymena Memorial Park in 2024 A series of Remembrance services and parades will be held across Mid and East Antrim this weekend to honour those who gave their lives in conflict. Residents across the Borough will come together on Remembrance Sunday (9 November 2025) to commemorate the sacrifices made by service personnel during World War One, World War Two, and other conflicts. Ceremonies will take place at War Memorials in Ballymena, Carrickfer

Community hero: Asda Larne driver Norman Gibson A quick-thinking Asda delivery driver from Larne has been praised for his heroic actions after coming to the aid of an elderly customer who had fallen and been lying on the floor of her home for more than two hours. Norman Gibson, who has worked at Asda Larne for nearly five years, was making a regular delivery when he spotted the woman, who is in her seventies, lying collapsed in the hallway through the front window of her home

A packed and varied programme of events has been unveiled by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to celebrate Ulster-Scots Leid (Language) Week 2025, taking place from 24 to 28 November. The week-long celebration — supported by the Ulster-Scots Agency — will see communities across Ballycarry, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Cullybackey, Larne and Whitehead come together to honour the borough’s linguistic and cultural heritage through music, poetry, film, storytelling and discussion

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has announced the return of its popular Shop Front Revitalisation Grant Scheme for a third consecutive year, offering a major boost to local businesses in town centres across Ballymena, Larne, Carrickfergus and Greenisland. The initiative, backed by £604,000 in funding from the Department for Communities, aims to transform the appearance of shop fronts and revitalise high streets throughout the Borough. Building on the success of previous s

Mid and East Antrim In Bloom Community Awards Winners and Runners-Up Mid and East Antrim’s green-fingered residents, schools, and community groups have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Borough’s beauty and biodiversity at this year’s In Bloom Community Awards. The special awards ceremony, hosted by the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford , took place at Larne Market Yard and celebrated 19 winners and runners-up for their creativi

Children from Braidside Primary School, Ballymena, were joined by Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, as they enjoyed a Forest School session recently. Primary school pupils from across the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area are embracing nature as part of this year’s Forest Schools Programme, funded by Council and delivered by the Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA). With support from the Council’s Parks and Open Spaces team, the in

Pictured at the unveiling of the newly refurbished Bank Road Business Park in Larne are, from left, Phelim Sharvin, Head of Community Finance Ireland, Simon McDowell, Kilwaughter Foundation, Aoife Butler, Senior Business Manager at Danske Bank, Dr Norman Apsley OBE, LEDCOM Chairman, Jenny Ervine, Kilwaughter Foundation, Ken Nelson MBE, LEDCOM Chief Executive, Peter Houston, Head of North Business Centre at Danske Bank and Catherine Anderson, LEDCOM Business and Marketing Exec

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has announced the cancellation of its popular annual ‘Hallowena’ event at Ballymena’s People’s Park due to forecasted high winds and heavy rain. The decision was made following Met Office warnings of gusts of up to 56mph and persistent downpours on Thursday 30 October, which would make conditions unsafe for both attendees and council staff. A Council spokesperson said the difficult decision was based on public safety concerns: “With such h

Glenarm, County Antrim Mid and East Antrim councillors have voted against introducing additional car park barriers along the Antrim Coast, opting instead to retain the current arrangements. At Monday evening’s meeting of the council’s Environment and Economy Committee, held at The Braid in Ballymena, members agreed to keep the existing barriers in place, with none to be removed. The committee was told that access to some council-owned car parks had previously been restricted

Alliance East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly on the Antrim coast Alliance East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly has welcomed confirmation that long-awaited action will finally be taken to replace the dangerous and rusted railings along the Coast Road in Larne. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has confirmed that an external contractor has been instructed to assess seven sections of railings identified as being in a poor and unsafe condition, and to begin the process of replacing th

The delivery of the “highest priority resurfacing projects, roadside stability, and drainage projects” in the Northern Division, including Mid & East Antrim, will be carried out by DfI Roads from a £68 million budget which “falls significantly short of funding requirements” , divisional roads manager Alan Keys has said. Presenting the Northern Division’s annual report, Mr Keys addressed members of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committe

Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena A “significant” number of complaints received by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council during the last financial year related to the cleanliness and disrepair of its leisure centres, a committee report has revealed. The Annual Complaints Report 2024/25, presented to the council’s Corporate Resources, Policy and Governance Committee at The Braid in Ballymena on Monday evening, stated that maintenance work had been carried out at the spa f