NEWS

Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena A review of leisure centre opening hours is set to be carried out by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council after councillors called for a rethink on bank holiday closures. Speaking at last week’s council meeting at The Braid in Ballymena, Larne Lough Alliance Councillor Maeve Donnelly proposed a motion calling for leisure facilities to open during bank holidays. Cllr Donnelly said: “For many of us, bank holidays are a welcome opportunity t

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, and Rowan Moore, Director of Place at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, are pictured at Slemish alongside a few of the new vehicles joining the Council’s refuse collection fleet. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is investing in ten new refuse collection vehicles as pressure grows on waste services across a rapidly expanding Borough. The major fleet upgrade includes a mix of smaller rural-access vehicles and large

Smiles all round as Ready2Work Academy students stand outside Tuition Time with teachers and facilitators, celebrating the success of their showcase café event. A group of young people from Larne took a major step towards the world of work this week after stepping behind the counter to run a real café environment as part of a programme designed to help SEN school leavers build confidence and job-ready skills. Ten students from Roddensvale School showcased what they had learne

Margaret Bell, former resident of Latharna House in Larne reflects on tower block life with Roy McClean, Housing Executive Assistant Area Manager, Mid and East Antrim. One of Larne’s most recognisable landmarks is about to disappear from the town’s skyline as demolition work begins on the towering Latharna House apartment block. For decades, the 16-storey Northern Ireland Housing Executive building stood prominently above Larne, visible to thousands of motorists travelling al

Residents across the Borough are being encouraged to roll up their sleeves, plant for pollinators and help make local communities greener as the Mid and East Antrim In Bloom 2026 Community Competitions officially open for entries. With 12 free-to-enter categories and prizes available for both winners and runners-up, the annual initiative is once again inviting households, community groups and gardening enthusiasts to showcase the very best of local horticulture while supporti

Browns Bay on the east Antrim coast Visitors to Browns Bay are set to benefit from major new improvements later this year as Mid and East Antrim Borough Council prepares to begin construction of enhanced toilet, shower and accessibility facilities at the popular coastal site. Works are due to begin in early June 2026 and will deliver a significant upgrade for beach users, swimmers, tourists and people with additional needs visiting one of the borough’s best-known seaside loca

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Roy McClean, NIHE Assistant Area Manager for Mid and East Antrim, pictured outside Latharna House in Larne Demolition works on one of Larne’s most recognisable landmarks are set to begin within days, bringing the curtain down on a 16-storey tower block that has dominated the town skyline for more than 50 years. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed that work to demolish Latharna House will commence later this month after the Nor

From left participant Jacqueline Dickson with Hayley Barr Labour Market Partnership, participant Denise Harris, Annie McSparron, CEO Kelli McRoberts, Denise Mayo Labour Market Partnership, Paul Truscott General Manager Harbourview Hotel Ten people across Mid and East Antrim have completed a targeted hospitality training programme, collectively securing 24 accredited qualifications as efforts intensify to tackle unemployment and skills shortages in one of Northern Ireland’s fa

Ballymoney Street, Ballymena More than 90 town centre businesses across Mid and East Antrim are set to benefit from a £75,500 grant scheme aimed at improving the appearance of their premises. The ‘Town Centre Revamp Refresh’ grant offers up to 80 per cent of eligible costs, capped at £1,000 per business, councillors were told at a recent meeting of the borough council’s Environment and Economy Committee. A total of 106 applications were submitted, with 13 deemed ineligible du

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Minford Jackson, announces the launch of the new ‘Craft to Commerce’ programme. A new council-backed initiative launching next month is set to give aspiring crafters across Mid and East Antrim a direct pathway from hobby to income, offering hands-on experience, market exposure, and business support in a push to unlock local creative potential. The ‘Craft to Commerce’ programme, beginning in June 2026, is designed to help hobby-craft en

Pictured at the first SNUS Awareness training event at Ballymena Showgrounds are Chair of Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership (MEA PCSP), Councillor Lauren Gray, alongside Elena Brewer, MPH Training Services Officer at ASCERT, and Chantal Ford, Irish Football Association Safeguarding and Welfare Manager. The growing use of snus and nicotine pouches among footballers and young people in Mid and East Antrim has prompted a targeted community safety resp

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Julia Cleeland, Operations Director, Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service, and Paul Frew MLA at a recent visit to Mid & East Antrim Community Advice Service. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed a key funding programme designed to help people access debt advice earlier and more easily will continue into 2026-27, following strong early results across all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland. The Integrated Advice

Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being invited to collect free compost from local Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) as part of a borough-wide initiative to promote sustainability and reduce landfill waste. The scheme, delivered by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in partnership with Natural World Products (NWP), will run for a limited four-day period from Wednesday 6 May to Saturday 9 May 2026, marking International Compost Awareness Week. During the initiative, h

A 53-year-old man is to appear in court after detectives seized suspected drugs worth an estimated £4 million at Larne Harbour, in a significant operation targeting organised crime networks operating across Northern Ireland and the wider island of Ireland. The development follows a major joint investigation involving the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Organised Crime Branch and the An Garda Síochána National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau, working together under the Joi

Drugs seized during the police operation at Larne Harbour, County Antrim Detectives have seized suspected drugs worth an estimated £4 million following a major cross-border operation targeting organised crime, after a lorry travelling from Scotland to Larne Harbour was stopped and searched on Monday, 27 April. The operation, led by the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Organised Crime Branch in collaboration with the An Garda Síochána National Drugs & Organised Crime Burea

Centra Frosses Road – Exceptional Performance in Food Safety (L-R) Catherine and Oran McCloskey, owners of Centra Frosses Road with store manager Cathie Carton, Joanne Bertenshaw Musgrave NI Food Safety & Quality Retail Co-ordinator, and host Pete Snodden. Retailers in Cloughmills, Kells, Ballymoney, Toomebridge and Larne have been placed firmly at the centre of this year’s Musgrave Northern Ireland ‘Store of the Year’ Awards, as nine County Antrim stores were recognised for

Kelli McRoberts, Chief Executive at Carrickfergus Enterprise, Elain Harkin, Strategic Revenue Manager from McKeever Hotels and Christine Barnhiill, Economic Development Officer at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, pictured with the ladies who attended this year’s Enterprising Women Residential. Female entrepreneurs from across Mid and East Antrim have come together for the fourth annual Enterprising Women Residential, as the fast-growing network continues to expand its sup

A man in his 50s has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a collision involving a car and a pedestrian in Larne on Monday evening, with police now appealing for witnesses and dash-cam footage. The incident happened in the Circular Road area of Larne at approximately 5.20pm on Monday, 13 April. Police said the collision involved a black Vauxhall Astra and a male pedestrian aged in his 50s. Emergency services, including colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulan

The RNLI has issued its own urgent Mayday call after new figures revealed its volunteer lifeboat crews across Northern Ireland were launched 235 times in 2025, bringing 214 people to safety, including three lives saved. The newly released data, published today by the lifesaving charity, also shows that 80 of those call-outs took place in darkness, underlining the scale and intensity of demand facing volunteer crews at the region’s 10 lifeboat stations. Alongside the lifeboat

Ballymena Town Hall Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s interim chief executive was paid £151,725 in 2024-25, placing the borough among the higher-paid councils in Northern Ireland as the latest Town Hall Rich List records a new UK-wide high in six-figure local authority remuneration. Across Northern Ireland’s 11 councils, 59 employees received total remuneration of more than £100,000 in 2024-25, up from 51 the previous year, while all Northern Ireland councils also increas