NEWS

Northern Regional College, Ballymena Northern Regional College has celebrated some of Northern Ireland’s top emerging talent at a special reception in Ballymena, recognising apprentices who have achieved success on regional, national and international stages. The event, held at the College’s Ballymena campus, brought together award-winning apprentices, employers, lecturers and senior College leaders to mark a series of standout achievements across engineering, manufacturing a

Ballymena artist Heather Martin A Ballymena-based artist has secured new funding support to develop a stage play examining systemic misogyny within policing and medicine as part of a wider Northern Ireland arts initiative supporting D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creatives. Heather Martin is among 20 artists across Northern Ireland awarded £1,000 grants through the newly renamed Atypical Generation Fund, delivered by the University of Atypical with National Lottery fundi

A growing crisis in home care provision across Northern Ireland is leaving hundreds of vulnerable people waiting for support, with rural communities in North Antrim facing some of the sharpest pressures, according to comments made at Stormont this week. Speaking during an Assembly debate on Tuesday, 12 May, TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston warned that the situation could no longer be softened or downplayed, describing the current state of domiciliary care as a “crisis”. He

Lady Ballyedmond and family remain the wealthiest people in Northern Ireland with an estimated fortune of £898 million, despite suffering a £24 million drop in wealth over the past year, according to the 2026 edition of The Sunday Times Rich List. The annual rankings, published by The Sunday Times Rich List, paint a striking picture of changing fortunes, billionaire migration and growing concern over an exodus of wealth from the UK. This year’s list reveals that one in six pe

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds during a meeting with businesses to discuss the Government’s new UK-EU food and drink deal, which it says will remove the vast majority of GB-NI checks. Northern Ireland businesses moving food and drink products from Great Britain could soon see millions of pounds in extra costs wiped out under a new UK–EU agreement aimed at dramatically reducing post-Brexit trade barriers. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds visited Northern Ireland this w

Two of Northern Ireland’s most iconic historic landmarks are set to appear on millions of letters, parcels and collector items across the UK after Royal Mail unveiled a major new stamp collection celebrating some of Britain and Ireland’s most remarkable castles. Dunluce Castle on the North Antrim Coast and Dundrum Castle in County Down have both been selected for inclusion in a new 12-stamp series showcasing the architectural brilliance, military history and enduring cultural

Education Minister pictured at the TransformED One Year On School Leaders’ Conference in Ballymena with (l to r), Garry Matthewson, Daniel T. Willingham, Hardip Begol CBE, Christine Counsell OBE, Carl Hendrick, Noeleen Tiffney, Alistair Hamill and Dr Harold Hislop. Education Minister Paul Givan has declared Northern Ireland’s sweeping TransformED education reform programme is now entering its “most critical phase” as more than 1,500 school leaders, teachers and international

Police and ambulance crews were called to a property in the Ballykeel area of Ballymena on Thursday afternoon following the sudden death of a man. The incident happened in the Shetland Gardens area shortly before 5pm on Thursday, May 14. Emergency services, including officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, attended the scene after reports of the sudden death. Police say death not being treated as suspici

The Children’s Law Centre CEO John O'Doherty, alongside Rachel Hogan BL, SEND Specialist Legal Adviser and Kathryn Stevenson, Head of Legal, pictured at Parliament Buildings after presenting to the education committee on the proposed SEN Regs. The Children’s Law Centre has warned Stormont’s Education Committee that proposed new SEND regulations could weaken legal protections for vulnerable children, reduce the role of parents in decision-making and leave parts of the new fram

Northern Ireland’s poultry sector will see all remaining bird flu restrictions lifted from just after midnight on Friday, marking the end of months of mandatory disease control measures introduced to protect flocks across the region. The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ), which has been in force since 1 November 2025, will officially end at 00:01 on Friday 15 May 2026 alongside the ban on poultry gatherings. The move means poultry shows, bird gatherings and related event

Family Farm Award winners James & Rachel Davison were presented with their award by Keith Halstead, Executive Director of the Royal Countryside Fund. A farming couple from Glenarm have been recognised on one of Northern Ireland agriculture’s biggest stages after winning a prestigious national award at this year’s Balmoral Show. James and Rachel Davison received the Royal Countryside Fund Family Farm Award at the 2026 M&S Select Farm Awards on Tuesday, May 13, in recognition o

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

Autism diagnoses among school-age children in Northern Ireland have reached their highest recorded level, with new figures revealing 18,472 pupils are now identified as autistic — while politicians and families warn support systems are becoming overwhelmed. The latest annual prevalence report published by the Department of Health shows autism prevalence among school-age children rose to 6.2% during the 2025/26 school year. That represents an increase of 0.3 percentage points

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

Tess Osborne, Head of Fresh Foods Sourcing NI at Tesco Tesco has more than doubled the number of Northern Ireland suppliers it works with in just three years, deepening its reliance on local farmers, food producers and manufacturers as pressure continues to mount across the agri-food sector. The supermarket giant now works with 138 Northern Ireland-based suppliers across more than 1,600 locally sourced product lines, with Ballymena meat processor Doherty & Gray playing a grow

Families across Northern Ireland waiting for confirmation of school places for children with special educational needs are being offered direct one-to-one support through a new series of online drop-in sessions hosted by the Education Authority. The initiative comes amid growing pressure on the region’s SEN system, with demand for specialist placements continuing to rise sharply and thousands of additional places projected to be needed over the next decade. Parents and carers

Professor Kenda Crozier, Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen's is pictured (second from left), accepting the ‘Best Student Experience’ award for Ambition to Success, at the Student Nursing Times Awards in London recently. Queen’s University Belfast has claimed two major national honours at one of the UK’s most prestigious student nursing award ceremonies, with judges praising the university’s “real world impact” and students’ passion for changing lives. The S

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

A commemorative ceramic Poppy Wreath made by prisoners in Maghaberry Prison. (Image: Michael Cooper) The chairperson of Northern Ireland’s Prison Officers Association has called on all 11 councils to formally recognise prison staff murdered while serving in the line of duty. The appeal comes after Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council approved plans for a permanent cenotaph memorial to prison officers ahead of this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations. The council area is

School leaders listening to presentations from staff and students Ballyclare Secondary School has opened its doors to school leaders from across Northern Ireland to demonstrate what life looks like without mobile phones during the school day — and staff say the results have been “remarkable”. The County Antrim school has been operating a phone-free system since August 2025 using lockable Yondr pouches, becoming one of the first schools in the area to adopt the approach amid g