NEWS

The People’s Park, Ballymena Sunday 25 October 2026 Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to avoid parks with heavy tree cover as Storm Boelo brings strong winds, prompting closures, cancelled activities and disruption to council services throughout the borough. People’s Park, Sentry Hill and Memorial Parks in Ballymena are among the locations affected, while several facilities in Larne and Carrickfergus have also been closed or placed under monitoring. Mid and

Portrush RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, The Ken Blair Sunday 04 October 2026 Portrush RNLI volunteers have assisted two kayakers who were struggling to return to shore after an offshore wind carried them away from White Rocks towards Dunluce Castle. The alarm was raised by friends watching from shore who became concerned when the pair, who were using an inflatable kayak, were unable to make progress back towards the beach. Friends alert Coastguard Portrush RNLI’s inshore lifeboat,

Ulster Unionist Party Leader & North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows (centre), pictured with UUP Ballymoney representative Gary Simpson (left), and (right) Scott Brown, director of CAN outside ‘The Hen House’, on Lislagan Farm Sunday 04 October 2026 A former family farm near Ballymoney has officially begun a new chapter as an inclusive community hub offering accessible accommodation, therapeutic outdoor spaces and opportunities for people to learn new skills. The 11-acre Lislagan Farm

Sloane, aged five-years-old, from Ballymena is delighted to land his first fish Saturday 26 September 2026 More than 50 children and their families have spent the summer discovering fishing, wildlife and the hidden world beneath local waterways through a programme run by Antrim & District Angling Association (ADAA). The Outdoor Learning and Nature Development Days combined hands-on environmental education with an introduction to angling, giving many of the young participants

L-R: Jenny Marshall, Executive Director for Community Programmes, William McCaughey, Vice Chair of Agewell, Cora McQuillian, Dots Sales & Marketing Officer, Nigel McKeown, Dots Gardening Home & Life Assistant A new gardening and outdoor maintenance service has launched in Ballymena, offering practical help to older people and other local residents who may struggle to keep on top of their gardens. The service has been introduced by Dots, the social enterprise operated by Agewe

Sunday 20 September 2026 Plans have been lodged for a new recreational fishing pond near Ballymoney which would be open to the general public and work with local groups and charities to provide access to what developers describe as a “calming outdoor hobby”. The proposal is for land approximately 250 metres south-west of 63 Glenstall Road, outside Ballymoney, and also includes an ancillary toilet and storage building. Planning documents say the facility would be fully accessi

Thursday 17 September 2026 A £50,000 project to provide toilet facilities at Ronán’s Way near Cushendun has been reinstated after land ownership concerns put the plans at risk. Ronán’s Way, on the McAuley family’s working farm near Cushendun, honours his wish to share the beauty of Glendun with others. Its routes stretch from riverside fields to upland peatland, with views towards Scotland. The toilet facilities project had been withdrawn from a wider PEACEPLUS-funded trails

A previous Wee Joan’s Charity Dog Walk makes its way along Portrush’s West Strand. The popular event returns this Sunday, raising funds for Willie’s Orphan Fund, Children to Lapland and Children’s Kidney Fund NI. A previous Wee Joan’s Charity Dog Walk makes its way along Portrush’s West Strand. The popular event returns this Sunday, raising funds for Willie’s Orphan Fund, Children to Lapland and Children’s Kidney Hundreds of paws are expected to hit the sand in Portrush this

Families and visitors of all ages and abilities have been given the opportunity to explore the wildlife and natural environment of Portrush’s East Strand through an event designed to make the coastline more accessible to everyone. The free Inclusive Biodiversity Day, held on Friday 28 August, brought together accessible outdoor activities, environmental education and adapted equipment at the Blue Flag beach. Organised by the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust (CCGHT) in

Metropole site in Portrush, County Antrim Skateboarders, BMX riders, scooter users and other urban sports enthusiasts are being invited to help shape proposals for the future of Portrush’s Metropole site as the next stage of consultation gets underway. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is progressing feasibility work for the prominent site, with specialist organisation Betongpark appointed to explore potential options and lead consultation with those who could ultimate

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Cllr Cushinan joins Skateboard NI to mark the launch of the free Skate Activation Events that will run over the next two years at Skate 100, Newtownabbey. Young people and budding skateboarders will be able to learn new skills for free when a new series of skateboarding events launches in Newtownabbey next weekend. The first Skate Activation Event will take place at Skate 100, V36, on Saturday 29 August, with free coached sessions for chi

All-Ireland Champions 2026 Legends Ladies – Angela, Alex, Anne Marie and Nikky Castle Rowing Club, based in Ballygally on the East Antrim coast, has returned from the 2026 All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships with two championship titles and six podium finishes following a memorable weekend of competition in Bantry. The club’s Novice Mixed and Legends Ladies crews were both crowned All-Ireland champions, while Castle rowers also secured two silver and two bronze results a

Cyclists from across Northern Ireland are being invited to take on one of the region’s most scenic charity rides next weekend, with every mile helping to raise money for people affected by dementia. The Bann Valley Road Club Tour of the Glens Charity Sportive, supported by Clarke, returns on Saturday 15 August, offering riders the choice of 40-mile or 60-mile routes through the spectacular Glens of Antrim. With all proceeds going to Alzheimer’s Society Northern Ireland, organ

Metropole Park, Portrush Campaigners hoping to see a dedicated skatepark and urban sports facility on the North Coast are a step closer to that ambition, with work set to begin next month on a masterplan for the long-awaited Metropole Project in Portrush. The study, due to begin in August, marks a fresh attempt to bring forward proposals for a major outdoor recreation space after more than three decades of campaigning and several previous schemes that failed to reach construc

Red Bay lifeboats. (Image: Colin King) A lone kayaker who became stranded in rough seas off the County Antrim coast was rescued by RNLI volunteers late on Sunday night after spending around six hours on the water. The kayaker had set off at approximately 6.30pm on Sunday (July 12) but got into difficulty around one-and-a-half miles north of Cushendun when his kayak became swamped by heavy sea swells, leaving him unable to paddle back to shore. Cold and exhausted, he managed t

People of all ages have helped the MEA Outdoors team with beach cleans at Ballygally A community beach clean at Ballygally brought local people together on Monday evening to help care for one of Mid and East Antrim’s most popular coastal beauty spots. The clean-up event, which took place on Monday 29 June, saw volunteers join forces with the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Outdoors team to collect litter from the shoreline and surrounding beach areas. With coastal locatio

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Henry Cushinan, congratulates sisters Aislinn (far right) and Meagan Joyce on the launch of Randalstown’s new walking group, The Maine Walkers. Also pictured is Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Walking for All Officer, Bridie Kelly. Residents in Randalstown are being invited to lace up their walking shoes and explore their local area as two sisters launch a new community walking group aimed at improving health, wellbei

Waterfoot beach and the illustrative designs of outdoor mobile saunas for locations across the Causeway Coast. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Planning Department has received planning applications for outdoor saunas at four popular coastal locations across the borough. The proposals represent the next stage in plans to introduce dedicated wellness facilities at key seaside destinations, reflecting the growing popularity of sea swimming, cold-water immersion and ou

Rea’s Wood at Loughshore Park, Antrim Bathers are being advised to stay out of the water at Rea’s Wood on Lough Neagh this summer after the site was again classified as “poor” for water quality due to faecal contamination and recurring blue-green algae. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has advised against bathing at Rea’s Wood on Lough Neagh in Antrim, councillors have been told. A report presented to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

A young people’s group is to be given a key role in helping shape plans for a new skate park in Antrim. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has approved proposals for a new “granite-style skate plaza” with floodlighting at the Peace Play Park beside Antrim Forum. Councillors backed the project during a meeting of the local authority’s Operations Committee last month. A report presented behind closed doors said the project would “adopt the design and engagement approach us