NEWS

Tracy Young, General Manager, The Lodge Hotel, Jamie Selfridge, Head of Business & Community at Coleraine FC, and Victoria Walton, Group Finance Director at McKeever Hotels Thursday 29 October 2026 Two of Coleraine’s best-known names are strengthening their long-standing relationship, with The Lodge Hotel signing a new two-season partnership with Coleraine Football Club. The family-owned hotel, part of the McKeever Hotels group, has become the Bannsiders’ Official Social Medi

Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens, Councillor Dawn Huggins, meets Rachel Cassidy, whose photograph of Binevenagh and Lough Foyle has earned her a place on the shortlist for the Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather Photographer of the Year 2026 competition. Thursday 29 October 2026 A spectacular photograph of rare night-shining clouds above Binevenagh and Lough Foyle has earned a Limavady woman a place among the world's leading weather photographers – and now the public can

Thursday 29 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has launched a recruitment process to appoint a permanent chief executive, offering an annual salary of up to £133,618 to lead the local authority responsible for Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and surrounding communities. The appointment would bring an end to more than four years of interim leadership under Valerie Watts, who has held the position since June 2022. The permanent, Ballymena-based role carries an adv

Thursday 29 October 2026 A stray dog whose fight for survival set an important precedent for local authorities has celebrated his first year of freedom after a lengthy legal battle that could have ended in his destruction. Max, originally from Dundonald, captured hearts across Northern Ireland and beyond when campaigners fought to save him after he was classified as a banned Pit Bull-type dog. Now living with Molly Piper at her family's Mid Antrim Animal Sanctuary, Max has sp

Thursday 29 October 2026 The Democratic Unionist Party has announced plans to obstruct elements of Sinn Féin's business at Stormont and suspend joint activities between Northern Ireland's two most senior ministers, warning that the power-sharing institutions cannot continue as normal following the controversy surrounding the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. In a strongly worded statement, the DUP accused First Minister Michelle O'Neill and her Sinn Féin colleagues of undermining c

Thursday 29 October 2026 The popular fly-on-the-wall documentary series ‘Peelers: The PSNI for Real’ is returning to television next month, giving viewers another behind-the-scenes look at the challenges, pressures and human stories of policing across Northern Ireland. Series Two will begin on BBC One Northern Ireland on Wednesday 11 November at 10.40pm, with episodes also available on BBC iPlayer from 6am that morning. The documentary follows Police Service of Northern Irela

CGI showing the newly approved hotel in Cushendall Thursday 29 October 2026 A landmark Cushendall hotel that has stood empty for around eight years could finally welcome guests again after councillors approved ambitious plans to transform it into a 38-bedroom destination with a restaurant, bar, function room and gym. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the major redevelopment of the former Glens Hotel on Coast Road on Wednesday evening, 28 O

Pictured (L-R) are Nicole Ross, Business Development Manager and Chief Financial Officer, Ross Companies, Iain Joannides, Head of Regional Business for the Eastern Region, Invest NI and William Ross, Managing Director, Ross Companies Thursday 29 October 2026 A Ballymena engineering manufacturer is investing £3.6 million in a major expansion that will create 25 new jobs, almost double its workforce and support further growth across Great Britain and Ireland. Ross Companies, wh

Thursday 29 October 2026 Detectives are appealing for witnesses after two masked men entered a house in Ballyclare and threatened a resident during a burglary on Wednesday evening (28 October). The incident happened in the Springhill Meadows area, with police receiving a report at approximately 9.20pm. One of the intruders may have been armed with a knife. The men searched the property before fleeing empty-handed, leaving the resident badly shaken but physically unharmed. Mas

Thursday 29 October 2026 Parents and teenagers across Northern Ireland could face significant changes to how they access social media next year, with photo identification, banking information and facial scans among the methods identified to enforce the UK Government’s planned ban for under-16s. Communications regulator Ofcom has identified four methods capable of providing highly effective age checks, as ministers prepare to publish detailed rules before the end of 2026. The

(L-R) Jonathan Mitchell, co-founder of Our Brewery and Michael Crealey, Lead Packaged Buying Manager at Tesco Northern Ireland, toast to the awarded Our Brewery range available at selected Tesco stores across NI. Wednesday 28 October 2026 An award-winning family-run brewery from Randalstown has expanded its presence on Tesco shelves across Northern Ireland, with two additional beers joining its range at 28 stores, including Ballymena, Antrim, Coleraine and Carrickfergus. Our

Wednesday 28 October 2026 Patients across Ballymena and the wider Northern Trust area could receive more treatment at home and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions this winter, as health authorities prepare for another challenging period for emergency departments, hospital beds and community services. New winter surge plans published across Northern Ireland set out measures to improve patient care, reduce ambulance handover delays and help medically fit patients leave hospit

Missing man last seen in Belfast: 32-year-old David Campbell Wednesday 28 October 2026 Police are appealing for help in locating 32-year-old David Campbell from Belfast amid growing concerns for his welfare, six days after he was last seen. David was last seen at the Mater Hospital in north Belfast during the early hours of Thursday 22 October. Police believe he could have travelled anywhere in Northern Ireland and are urging the public to help find him. Description of missin

UK Chancellor John Healey before making today’s Autumn Budget. (Picture by Kirsty O'Connor / No 10 Downing Street) Wednesday 28 October 2026 Households across Northern Ireland are set to benefit from lower heating oil import costs, continued fuel duty relief and increases in the minimum wage following Budget 2026, but questions remain over electricity support, business rates and whether additional funding will ease pressure on struggling public services. Chancellor John Heale

County Hall, Ballymena Wednesday 28 October 2026 Up to £110,000 is expected to be spent preparing County Hall in Ballymena to accommodate civil servants temporarily, even though the government plans to dispose of the building once a major refurbishment of Academy House is completed. The Department of Finance wants to modernise Academy House on Broughshane Street and make it the long-term base for civil servants currently working across both Ballymena government buildings. How

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart Wednesday 28 October 2026 The High Court has ruled that the Secretary of State acted lawfully in banning an Orange Order parade along Portadown’s Garvaghy Road, while delivering a significant warning about unlawful protests, respect for the rule of law and the involvement of elected representatives. Wednesday’s judgment has prompted renewed demands from Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart for First Minister Michelle O’Neill to be removed from office,

Pictured (L–R): Kelly Kerr (NHSCT), Gillian Steele (NHSCT), Stephen McCartney (NRC) and Christopher Hillcox (EA). Wednesday 28 October 2026 Parents and carers of autistic people gathered at Northern Regional College’s Ballymena campus for a conference aimed at making it easier for families to access support, plan for the future and look after their own wellbeing. Held on Friday 23 October, the Supporting Autism Together conference brought education, healthcare and support pro

Tuesday 27 October 2026 Northern Ireland households have an average of just £137 a week remaining after taxes and essential bills, the lowest spending power anywhere in the UK, as rising fuel costs place renewed pressure on family finances. New figures from Asda’s October 2026 Income Tracker reveal that liquid fuel prices have increased by 104.9% in the year to September, adding to the financial pressures facing households heavily dependent on oil heating. Despite rising inco

Pictured are the senior leadership team at Rapid. From left to right: Kathryn McClenaghan, Creative Director; James Scullion, Founder and Owner; and Kevin Doran, Managing Director. Tuesday 27 October 2026 A creative and digital marketing agency founded by Ballymena-born entrepreneur James Scullion is expanding its team and setting its sights on further growth after securing major contracts with some of Northern Ireland’s best-known organisations. Belfast-based Rapid Agency ha

Debbie Chestnut of Good Morning Ballymena receives the Social Enterprise of the Year Award from James Perry MBE of the Ballymena Business Centre. Tuesday 27 October 2026 A Ballymena organisation helping older people overcome loneliness and isolation has been recognised for its contribution to the local community, winning the Best Social Enterprise Award at the 2026 Ballymena Business Awards. Good Morning Ballymena received the award, sponsored by Ballymena Business Centre, at