NEWS

Local woman, Ann Lamont, happy volunteering at Dogs Trust Ballymena A County Antrim woman who promised herself she would one day help rescue dogs after losing her beloved pet has now given more than 1,000 hours of service to homeless hounds at Dogs Trust Ballymena. Ann Lamont, from near Kells, has become one of the rehoming centre’s most recognisable faces after spending the past two years volunteering in its laundry room — affectionately known by staff and volunteers as “Ann

Mid & East Antrim Pride has announced details of its 2026 programme, with a series of events planned across Ballymena on Saturday June 20. The annual event will include a morning community programme at The Braid Arts Centre, a parade through Ballymena town centre and an evening after-party event. Organisers say this year’s theme will be “Louder, Prouder, Stronger”, with community groups, local organisations, businesses and individuals expected to take part throughout the day.

Female scientists will step out of laboratories and into the heart of Ballymena later this month as a major public STEM event lands in the town for the first time. Soapbox Science, a free live science event designed to make research accessible, engaging and visible, is coming to the People’s Park on Friday 12 June from 11am to 2pm. The event — the first of its kind to be hosted in Mid and East Antrim — will see female researchers take to literal soapboxes to explain their wor

Pictured (L-R) are Peter McAuley, CEO and founder, Nomadic Watches and Iain Joannides, Head of Eastern Regional Business, Invest NI A Carrickfergus-founded luxury watch company that began as a one-man operation working from home has grown into a business with more than £1.9 million in sales — and is now planning to create 20 new jobs as it expands internationally. Nomadic Watches, founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Peter McAuley, has rapidly built a global customer base from Nor

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has appointed a new mayor and deputy mayor for the year ahead, with Bannside DUP Alderman Thomas Gordon taking on the borough’s top civic role and Carrick Castle Ulster Unionist Councillor Bethany Carson-Ferris named as deputy mayor. The appointments were confirmed during the council’s Annual Meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Monday evening, June 1, marking the beginning of a new civic

Bannside DUP Alderman Tom Gordon and Carrickfergus Castle Ulster Unionist Councillor Bethany Carson-Ferris The mayoral role in Mid and East Antrim will return to the DUP at the borough council’s annual general meeting taking place this evening (Monday, June 1) at The Braid in Ballymena. The borough’s new first citizen is expected to be Bannside Alderman Tom Gordon. The incoming deputy mayor is expected to be Carrickfergus Castle Ulster Unionist Councillor Bethany Carson-Ferri

The Grouse Inn on Ballymoney Street, Ballymena A man has suffered serious injuries following an alleged assault outside a pub in Ballymena during the early hours of Saturday morning. Police are investigating the incident, which happened outside The Grouse Inn at around 2.30am on Saturday 31 May. The victim is reported to have sustained Grievous Bodily Harm injuries following the assault. The incident is likely to raise concern locally given the busy weekend nightlife footfall

Ethel Blair, centre, with Gail Caldwell, Asda Larne Community Champion, McGee's butcher Conor O'Cleary, Serena Quigley, front right and Serena's dad Jim Steele, who also works on the McGee's counter at Asda Larne A Larne woman who has spent more than a century watching the world change around her has marked her 100th birthday with a royal letter from the King, a hand-delivered gift from the Lord-Lieutenant’s office — and flowers from the supermarket team who have become part

A 35-year-old man has been charged to court following an arrest in the Ballymena area, with police also continuing enquiries into a number of alleged drugs offences. The man has been charged with three counts of common assault after being arrested on Saturday, 30 May. He is due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 25 June. Police confirm further drugs enquiries ongoing Police said the man was also bailed in relation to a number of drugs offences to allow

More than one million people across the UK have now used a free online checker designed to help consumers avoid poor mobile phone coverage, dropped calls and frustrating signal blackspots. The milestone, announced by Ofcom, highlights growing public concern over patchy mobile reception as people increasingly rely on smartphones for everyday essentials including banking, GP appointments, navigation, travel bookings and remote working. The regulator says its free “Map Your Mobi

Inset: Local woman Jill Stewart of Jill Bakes Clouds of softly whipped cream, crisp shards of sweet meringue, silky custard and juicy berries soaked in fragrant elderflower syrup come together in this irresistibly light summer dessert that tastes like sunshine in a glass. With strawberries at their sweetest and bright raspberries adding a sharp burst of freshness, this berry and elderflower Eton mess feels perfectly made for warm evenings, garden gatherings and those relaxed

More than half a million households across Northern Ireland are facing another jump in energy costs from Friday, with both electricity and gas prices rising amid renewed pressure on global wholesale markets linked to conflict in the Middle East. Power NI customers will see electricity tariffs increase by 6.2% from 1 July 2026, while regulated firmus energy gas customers in the Ten Towns network will face a much steeper rise of 15.65%. For many families already juggling food c

Police in Ballymena have seized a quantity of suspected Class A and Class B drugs along with a large amount of cash following a proactive search operation in the town. A 35-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drugs-related offences and remains in police custody. The operation was carried out by officers from the Local Policing Team on Saturday, 30 May, as part of ongoing efforts to target the supply and distribution of illegal drugs in the Ballymena area. T

Northern Ireland is preparing for one of its biggest weeks of youth sport of the year after the full fixture list for the 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI was officially unveiled — bringing Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers, Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland back to pitches across the north this summer. More than 1,200 young players from across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East will descend on the Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim, an

Hundreds of thousands of people across Northern Ireland could be living with dangerously high blood pressure without realising it — and a free health event coming to Ballymena aims to change that before lives are put at risk. Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) has launched a public awareness campaign highlighting what it describes as the hidden danger of undetected high blood pressure, a condition linked to one in every two heart attacks and strokes. As part of the

Psychological thrillers, contemporary romance and emotionally driven fiction are continuing to fly off the shelves at Waterstone’s Ballymena, with the latest weekly Top 10 revealing the books currently capturing readers’ attention across the town. As Father’s Day approaches, the Ballymena store is also encouraging shoppers to browse its growing range of books and gifts, while community book clubs and family storytime sessions continue to draw in readers of all ages. Top 10 th

Ballycastle beach, County Antrim Northern Ireland’s bathing water system could face its biggest overhaul in years under new proposals that may change how swimming sites are identified, monitored and protected across the country. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a 12-week public consultation examining whether current bathing water rules are still fit for purpose as outdoor swimming surges in popularity and more people use coasta

A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the stabbing of a man during a motorcycle event in Carrickfergus earlier this week. Detectives investigating the violent incident, which happened during the “Storming the Castle” bike meet on Wednesday night, confirmed the arrest was made following a search operation in the Newtownabbey area on Saturday. The stabbing, which happened in the Rodgers Quay area near Carrickfergus Castle shortly after 7

Jonathon Fulton (CCP Chair), Dr Paul Roelle (US Consulate), Richard Hanna (CCP) Cullybackey Community Partnership has unveiled a major new exhibition exploring the remarkable role ordinary people from the local area played in the events surrounding American Independence — uncovering stories that stretch from rural Mid and East Antrim to the inner circle of George Washington himself. The project, titled Ordinary People Extraordinary History – Cullybackey and American Independe

Sea defences at 17 locations along the Belfast to Larne railway line are set to be reinforced under new Translink proposals aimed at protecting the vital transport corridor from coastal erosion and increasingly severe weather conditions. Plans for the East Antrim Sea Defences Project were unveiled during a series of public consultation drop-in sessions, the last of which was held at Glynn Village Hall outside Larne on Wednesday. The consultation events were organised to provi