NEWS

Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald and Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt with Commission Chair, Alan Milburn (second from right). More than 315,000 working-age people in Northern Ireland are currently economically inactive — the highest rate anywhere in the UK — with disability and long-term ill health now driving more than a third of those cases. The stark figures come as Stormont ministers unveiled a new cross-government Commission on Work a

Parents across Northern Ireland who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy are set to receive formal recognition of their loss for the first time under new legislation approved at Stormont. Finance Minister John O’Dowd confirmed the Assembly has now approved the Baby Loss Certificate Regulations, paving the way for a new scheme expected to launch before the end of June. The move marks a major change for bereaved families who, until now,

Ballymena boxer Ella McDonald A Ballymena woman who only started boxing in her mid-twenties is preparing to make her professional debut next month after an extraordinary rise through the amateur ranks that has already seen her claim major titles, win international medals and train alongside some of the best fighters in Ireland. At just 28 years old, Ella McDonald will step into the professional game for the first time at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on June 26 — a moment she onc

Colette Sloan from Coleraine People across Northern Ireland are being urged not to ignore unusual moles or skin changes as the Northern Health and Social Care Trust marks Skin Cancer Awareness Month with a fresh warning about the dangers of delayed diagnosis. The Trust has teamed up with a local woman who discovered a suspicious mole after returning from holiday, as health professionals stress that early detection of skin cancer can save lives. Melanoma, while less common tha

Winning: Boxing talent Kain Stewart from Ballymena A brother and sister from Ballymena have returned from the WKO European Championships with multiple European titles after producing a series of dominant performances against some of the continent’s top young fighters. Lacey Stewart and her younger brother Kain Stewart — already rapidly rising names in local combat sports — travelled to Barnsley representing Cuchulainn Combat Sports under Ballymena MMA figure Alan “Super Ali”

L-R Fionnuala Walsh, Head of Funding UK Portfolio, The National Lottery Community Fund, Jacinta Linden, Co-Director of Together for Families, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, Paul Sweeney, Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee, The National Lottery Community Fund and Peter Toogood, Deputy Secretary, Social Care and Public Health Policy Group. Paper prescriptions are set to become a thing of the past in Northern Ireland under a major £42 million digital transformation programme

TUV party leader and North Antrim MP Jim Allister, new party candidate Kirk Wilson, and current North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston The TUV has unveiled its two-candidate team for next year’s Assembly election in North Antrim, setting out an explicit strategy to win a fourth unionist seat in the constituency by targeting Alliance representation. Sitting MLA Timothy Gaston will once again stand for the party, joined by first-time Assembly candidate Kirk Wilson from Cloughmills as

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn Northern Ireland’s struggling public services are set for a major shake-up after the UK Government released a further £102.6 million to fund wide-ranging reforms across healthcare, employment support, digital services and agriculture. The funding package includes a landmark £42 million project to replace Northern Ireland’s paper prescription system with a fully digital process — ending the manual handling of more than 45 million

Scene of senseless destruction in the sensory garden in the Ecos Nature Park Community volunteers in Ballymena say years of work has been damaged in a wave of vandalism at ECOS Nature Park that left a children’s sensory garden wrecked, equipment destroyed and broken glass scattered across grass used by families, runners and wildlife. Members of the Friends of the Ecos group discovered the damage on the morning of Bank Holiday Monday, 25 May, describing the scenes as “senseles

Students Niamh Reid (Glenarm), Jessica Cuthbertson (Sixmilecross), Caleb Orr (Ballymena), TJ Hamilton (Armagh), Jane May (Portadown) and Grace Hunter (Dungannon) represented CAFRE at the Great Agri-Food Debate. Students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) have reached the semi-finals of a major all-island agri-food debating competition after impressing judges with arguments on some of the biggest challenges facing farming and food production. Th

A casualty with a suspected broken leg was rescued from a beach earlier today (Monday 25 May) after HM Coastguard Larne and the volunteer crew of Larne RNLI launched a joint emergency response. The incident unfolded in a difficult coastal location where access for ambulance crews was limited and changing tidal conditions created additional pressure for rescuers working on scene. Coastguard teams arrived quickly and worked alongside the RNLI crew to stabilise the casualty befo

Larne RNLI’s new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat Machiko Nancy Larne RNLI’s new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat Machiko Nancy was launched for the first time on Sunday afternoon after two crew members onboard a broken-down RIB got into difficulty off the County Antrim coast. The volunteer crew were requested to launch at 2.48pm on Monday 25 May following a call from HM Coastguard after a member of the crew onboard the vessel reported that they had suffered a breakdown w

A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged following a reported assault in the Dunclug Park area of Ballymena on Monday morning, May 25. Police confirmed the man has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence. The charges follow what is understood to have been a serious incident in the Dunclug area earlier today, prompting a police investigation. Court appearance scheduled The accus

McGroggan’s shop on William Street, Ballymena McGroggan’s, one of Ballymena’s most recognisable family-run businesses, has announced it will close its long-established William Street shop later this week, bringing an end to more than a century of trading in the town centre. The much-loved business, renowned for its homemade ice cream and traditional treats, confirmed on Saturday that it will close its doors permanently on May 30, 2026. First established in 1923 by Hugh and An

The RNLI is urging people across Northern Ireland to remember a simple piece of advice that could save their life this summer as warmer weather and the Bank Holiday weekend are expected to bring large crowds to beaches and inland waterways. The charity has launched its annual ‘Float to Live’ campaign ahead of the busy summer season, warning that panic can quickly become deadly if someone gets into difficulty in the water. With thousands expected to head to the coast over the

Northern Ireland has moved a step closer to introducing major new bus safety laws after more than 600 responses were submitted to a consultation aimed at protecting children travelling to and from school. The Safer Journeys to School consultation — which explored new restrictions on overtaking and passing buses — closed yesterday after receiving 601 responses from the public and stakeholders. The proposals, brought forward by Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, could eventua

A major new report has revealed a striking contradiction at the heart of life in Northern Ireland — while millions of outdoor visits are made every year and most people say nature improves their wellbeing, only a small minority believe they can easily reach greenspace close to home. The findings, published in the latest People in the Outdoors Monitor for Northern Ireland (POMNI), show overwhelming public demand for better access to parks, woodlands, coastlines and natural spa

L to R: Ralph McLean (BBC Radio Ulster), Daniel Coulter, Luke Bell and Páidí Muldoon (last year’s winners, 4AM Club), Chris Nelmes (The Boulevard Banbridge), and Alderman Stephen Moutray, Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Musicians, singers and street performers from across County Antrim are being invited to battle it out on the streets of Banbridge this summer as Buskfest 2026 returns with its biggest-ever prize fund and a brand-new youth ca

Children and young people with complex disabilities across Mid and East Antrim could benefit from new summer activities and support programmes after the council launched a dedicated funding scheme aimed at creating more inclusive opportunities during the school holidays. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has unveiled its first-ever Inclusive Summer Opportunities Grant Funding Scheme, with £12,000 available to help local organisations deliver free and accessible activities t

Springwatch will broadcast its main live hub from Northern Ireland for the first time when the BBC’s flagship wildlife series returns from the National Trust’s Crom Estate in County Fermanagh this week. The much-loved BBC Two programme will go live from one of Northern Ireland’s most important nature conservation areas, placing Crom’s ancient woodland, wetlands, islands and freshwater habitats at the centre of three weeks of national wildlife storytelling. Crom takes centre s