Mark Young

A year ago today I had my last ever conversation with my mum. It’s a conversation that I’ve replayed in my mind endlessly.

The guilt of convincing her to go through with a surgery that was ultimately the catalyst for her passing away weighs incredibly heavy.

Councillor takes matters into own hands over "badly neglected" road signs "I cannot fix potholes myself, but I can at least make sure signs are clean, clear and readable," he said.

Well done @aaron-skinner.bsky.social 👏🏻

www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/norther...

Galgorm Collection supports digital learning at Kells and Connor Primary School Galgorm Collection donates £1,000 to Kells and Connor Primary School near Ballymena to support digital learning through new iPads for pupils.

A Ballymena primary school is set to benefit from new iPads after a donation from Galgorm Collection, helping pupils build vital digital skills in the classroom.

Read more below.

My favourite day of the year in Ballymena. It will be great to see the town buzzing with people.

Congratulations to Max.

He’s a very special young footballer.

The time to act is now. The Northern Ireland Executive and HSC must prioritise working with clinicians, people with IBD and IBD charities to improve IBD care in Northern Ireland now and in the future.

This was the conclusion of last years IBD U.K. report into IBD care in Northern Ireland.

A year later there’s been no movement on making care better for people diagnosed with IBD in NI, our clinics remain understaff with long waiting lists.

It’s does make you question how useful Stormont really is

A knitted squirrel on top of a postbox

A knitted squirrel on top of a postbox

Fantastic to see a little squirrel sitting on the Kells postbox this morning.

Yet another fantastic knitted design by the Kells & Connor Knit and Natter members.

As you can see likewise! lol

Hope your keep well

Ted Lasso thinking.

The image is a promotional poster for the British Liver Trust's "Love Your Liver Roadshow" in 2025. The background features a pink gradient with the British Liver Trust logo and the "Love Your Liver" slogan prominently displayed. On the left side, there is a photo of a group of people standing in front of a building with a green dome, holding signs that read "Free liver health check and scan" and "I support early diagnosis." The group includes individuals in blue shirts and others in formal attire. To the right, a schedule lists the roadshow locations and dates: Enniskillen Town Centre (Monday, 15th September), Stormont Buildings (Tuesday, 16th September), Belfast City Hall (Wednesday, 17th September), and Coleraine Town Centre (Thursday, 18th September). The Liver Support Group logo is also visible in the top left corner.

The #LoveYourLiver roadshow is visiting Stormont today, Belfast tomorrow & Coleraine on Thursday.

If you are in any of these areas call in & get some liver health information.

Fingers crossed the helpful ones actually get you what is required.

Sadly there is some charities that have lost sight of their aims.

A-level Results Day Reminders: - Your grades do not define you or your future. (Pink sticky note) - Your mental health is more important than your results. (Green sticky note) - No matter what happens, you are always enough. (Yellow sticky note) - You did your best, be proud of yourself! (Blue sticky note)

To everyone getting their A-Level results today.

Regardless of what results you receive remember you are so much more than a single set of results & your future is still to be written.

Always be compassionate with yourself.

Two trees that look like they are hearts

The local trees are showing the love this morning.

Tim Horton’s in Ballymena

A morning out of the house while attempting to fill in my first application form in 21 years 😱

A picture of a postbox surrounded by black railing. The postbox featured a knitted topper of two figures. The figure on the left is holding a surf board & the other figure is holding an ice lolly.

Another fantastic knitted postbox topper by the Kells & Connor Knit and Natter club.

David was the councillor for my area but we quickly developed a close friendship over health, football, Star Wars & WWE.

I was always humbled by his positivity in the face of all his health challenges.

My thoughts are with all his family.

The world has lost a good man & I’ll miss him dearly.

Alliance pays tribute to former local councillor David Reid, 35, after brave cancer battle Tributes have been paid by Alliance Party representatives to former Councillor David Reid, who has passed away at age 35 after a courageous battle with cancer.

“He stood up for everyone” – Alliance pays tribute to former Councillor David Reid, remembered for his compassion, courage, and commitment to inclusive representation.

Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends.

More below.

Alliance representatives pay tribute to former Alliance Councillor David Reid Alliance representatives pay tribute to former Alliance Councillor David Reid

Alliance representatives pay tribute to former Alliance Councillor David Reid.

www.allianceparty.org/allian...

The Al Jazira Club changing room sign & the SuperCup NI tournament handbook.

Linfield players on the pitch in Kells

Day 3 of the SuperCup NI in Kells

SuperCup NI programme & pass

Crusaders v Ross County

The pitch at kells

The tournament handbook & programme

The first few days of helping out at the SuperCup NI

The front page of the Ballymena Guardian

I had to buy this weeks Ballymena Guardian.

There was a story about a troublemaker I needed to read @aaron-skinner.bsky.social 😉

Sure this is all right. Northern Irish summer evenings...ⁿ

Sky news headline about Diogo Jota being killed in a car crash

Such tragic news this morning about Diogo Jota & his brother André Silva.

My deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates & @lfcr.bsky.social Penafiel supporters as they come to terms with this news.

In a world full of small minds and loud mouths, be the reason someone still believes in kind hearts, beautiful souls and good energy. Never stop being a good person.

In a world full of small minds and loud mouths, be the reason someone still believes in kind hearts, beautiful souls and good energy.
Never stop being a good person.

The image shows a collection of matchsticks arranged on a white background. On the left side, there are five matchsticks, with the top three appearing burnt at the tips. On the right side, there are ten matchsticks, all with pink tips, arranged in a slightly uneven line. One matchstick is noticeably shorter than the others, standing out in the middle of the row.

Rather than focus on the person with a heart full of hatred who attempted to mess up the town, I want to applaud all those who worked together to get Ballymena cleaned for today’s event & shoppers.

Let’s focus on the goodness of people rather than the negative.

If you have information, please contact police on 101, quoting reference number 191 of 28/06/25 or report online via psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org

I unreservedly condemn those who spread slurry on the streets of Ballymena ahead of the town’s first-ever Pride parade today.

There is no place for this kind of disgusting and deliberate attempt to intimidate, disrupt, or shame those taking part in a peaceful and joyful celebration.

Ballymena streets 'spread with slurry overnight' ahead of town's first Pride parade Slurry has been spread near streets where a pride parade was due to finish up this afternoon.

An absolutely disgusting incident in Ballymena.

I really don’t understand how people can carry so much hatred in their hearts.

Hopefully the PSNI catch whoever was responsible.

Sending solidarity & support to all involved in today’s @meapride.bsky.social

www.thejournal.ie/ballymena-sl...

Logo of Mid & East Antrim pride

Good luck to everyone involved in the first @meapride.bsky.social
this weekend.

I hope the events & parade go well over the next few days.