NEWS

Education Minister Paul Givan is pictured at Anahilt Pre-school Playgroup, Hillsborough with pupils and Dara Graham, Preschool Leader. Education Minister Paul Givan has announced a major expansion of pre-school education provision, with an additional 102 pre-school settings  across Northern Ireland approved to offer full-time education from September 2026. This announcement represents the second phase of settings approved to transition to offering full-time places under the o

Christmas arrived early for Ballymena today as Primark officially opened the doors of its brand-new store at Fairhill Shopping Centre — a major £5 million investment that doubles the retailer’s footprint in the town and delivers a welcome boost to the local economy. The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Jackson Minford, joined store colleagues for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking a significant milestone for the internationally recognised retailer, which first

St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena St Louis Grammar School has secured its place among Northern Ireland’s top-performing post-primary schools, ranking ninth in the prestigious Sunday Times Parent Power 2026 guide . The annual league table, widely considered the definitive benchmark for school performance across the UK, will be published online on Friday 5 December and in print on Sunday 7 December. Nationally, St Louis Grammar also earns a strong position at number 65 within

Pictured (L-R) Wholetime Firefighters from Antrim area, Emma Hutchinson from Carrickfergus, Daniel Richey from Ballyclare and Emer McLernon from Ballymena. Ballymena’s own Emer McLernon is among 18 new Wholetime Firefighters who graduated today from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Learning & Development College (LDC), marking the completion of an intensive 18-week training programme and the beginning of their operational careers serving communities across N

WJ O’Donnell & Sons Funeral Directors have announced a special community event, “The Meaning of Christmas”, which will take place on Sunday 7th December 2025 at 7pm in their Ballymena funeral home (41–43 Mount Street, BT43 6BW). The gathering, open to everyone in the community, is intended to provide a space of peace, reflection, and comfort for anyone who finds the festive season difficult after the loss of a loved one. All voluntary proceeds will be donated to Cruse Berea

Inset: North Antrim MLA Paul Frew North Antrim MLA Paul Frew has raised fresh concerns over ongoing delays in the collection of recycling boxes by Bryson Recycling, as households across Ballymena and the wider Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area continue to report prolonged disruption. Mr Frew said he had been “contacted numerous times over the last number of weeks” by residents frustrated at waiting days beyond their normal schedule for collections to be completed. Som

Christmas on Castle Street is set to make a joyful return to Ballymena Elim on Saturday 6 December 2025 , offering a warm and welcoming festive celebration for families across the borough. Running from 12 noon to 5pm , the much-loved community event promises a packed programme of activities — and best of all, every attraction is completely free. Pastor Pip Kerr said the church was “delighted to once again open our doors to the community for what we truly believe is the mos

Latharna House high rise block of flats in Larne. Mid and East Antrim councillors have been given assurances by the Housing Executive over the future demolition of Larne’s last remaining high-rise flats. Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday evening, Housing Executive chief executive Grainia Long was responding to a query from Larne Lough Alliance Councillor Maeve Donnelly regarding the unoccupied

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has detailed more than £62 million of investment across Mid and East Antrim during 2024/25, as councillors were briefed on extensive works to improve homes, support vulnerable residents and maintain community cohesion. Chief Executive Grainia Long delivered the update at the annual Housing Investment Plan presentation on Tuesday 2 December 2025, outlining progress in both the organisation’s Strategic Housing Authority functions and its r

Eddie O’Neill presenting Elizabeth McAllister with a trophy for Reserve Champion Show Flock. The Irish Beltex Sheep Breeders Club marked another successful year as members gathered for the annual Club Dinner at The Valley Hotel, Fivemiletown, on Saturday, 22 November. The evening saw the announcement of the 2025 Flock Competition results and recognition of outstanding achievements from breeders across the island. Members were awarded a range of cups, trophies and rosettes in

North Ballymena Rangers Football Club has confirmed a major milestone in its rapid rise, after securing a 25-year lease for Smithfield Playing Field with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. The agreement, approved at Monday night’s Full Council meeting, is being hailed by the club as the beginning of a transformative new chapter. In a statement, the club said it was “very enthusiastic about this development, as it marks the beginning of a new era for our Club with the acqu

Significant variations have emerged in Mid and East Antrim Borough councillors’ expenses claims for 2024–2025, prompting renewed scrutiny of public spending at a time when elected members have also accepted a rise in their basic allowance. The publication of the latest travel and subsistence figures shows that 15 councillors claimed nothing at all, while others recorded expenses totalling more than £1,900 for the year. It comes just weeks after councillors accepted a 3.2% inc

The countdown is almost over — Primark Ballymena will officially open its brand-new store at Fairhill Shopping Centre this Friday, 5th December at 10am , marking one of the most significant retail moments the town has seen in years. The opening forms the centrepiece of Fairhill Shopping Centre’s ongoing £10 million redevelopment, which has transformed the site throughout 2024 and 2025 with upgraded mall spaces, improved facilities and a refreshed brand identity designed to st

Ballymena’s young star Kain Stewart, presented with the WKO Grand Champion belt, alongside medals and certificates, which were presented by WKO UK President Jon Green Ballymena’s rising star Kain Stewart, aged 10 and from Foxton Wood Square, has capped off an extraordinary year by being crowned WKO Grand Champion at the WKO Grand Prix awards ceremony in Barnsley on Saturday evening, 29 November. Kain’s dominance throughout the season saw him rise to the top of the 10–11-year

Over the past few years, the store team has organised and taken part in a number of initiatives and fun days to help raise funds towards the milestone and become one of the top SPAR fundraisers in NI. A Ballymena store team is celebrating after helping SPAR NI surpass an extraordinary £1 million raised for Marie Curie, supporting vital community nursing services across Northern Ireland. SPAR NI has confirmed its retailers and shoppers have collectively raised £1,024,167 for t

New Chief Executive of Wrightbus, Axel J. Maschka Zero-emission transport manufacturer Wrightbus has announced Axel J. Maschka as its new Chief Executive, marking a significant moment in the Ballymena-based company’s continued growth on the international stage. Maschka, an accomplished senior executive with decades of experience in the global automotive supply chain, joins Wrightbus after holding top roles at Hyundai Mobis, Valeo, Volvo, Continental, Leclanché, Bosch and Merc

Pictured are the latest cohort of students from the Supporting Communities Scholarship Scheme, Noah Hought, Michael Cushenan, Caoimhe Layland McGroggan and Jelisejs Sestakovs, alongside Stephanie McKilliop, far left and Sandra Ross, far right, from Supporting Communities.  The Gallaher Trust has announced a further three-year extension to its scholarship schemes, securing £99,000 in funding to support disadvantaged young adults pursuing business or STEM-based studies in the B

An “extra-large” American flag that could be seen from Belfast Lough is set to be flown at a Carrickfergus visitor attraction to mark a landmark anniversary next year. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee has approved a proposal to fly the flag at the Andrew Jackson Cottage in Boneybefore, subject to additional funding being secured, as part of the ‘America 250’ commemorations. It was suggested that an “extra-large” US flag be install

Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA has welcomed the introduction of a new emergency messaging system for schools, following the Education Minister’s admission that “communication failures” took place during the handling of Storm Amy. The recent review into the events surrounding the storm found that critical updates were not delivered quickly enough to schools, leading to widespread confusion as closure decisions were issued. Mr Burrows said the review h

Aerial view of Ballee Cemetery Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has agreed to shelve a proposal that would have ended Sunday burials. The recommendation to restrict weekend burials to Saturdays only was presented to councillors at a meeting of the council’s Environment and Economy Committee last month. The discussion took place in a closed session, according to the minutes. Officers had advised limiting weekend burials, but councillors were told that rural Sunday funerals