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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The local trees are showing the love this morning.

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

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.

“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. www.allianceparty.org/allian...

Day 3 of the SuperCup NI in Kells

The first few days of helping out at the SuperCup NI

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

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

Some positive Wednesday advice

New week positivity

A weekend spent celebrating what should of been mum’s 75th birthday. Instead it’s our first without her.

Sad to see thugs destroying & causing chaos on the streets of my local town. Grateful as always to the emergency services for putting themselves in harms way to protect others. I’m just thankful that no one was killed or seriously injured. Violence is never the answer.

If women rioted every time one of us was attacked Northern Ireland would lie in ashes.

A beautiful picture from Ballycastle this morning. Picture shared by @loveballymena.online

New week motivation

The Kells & Connor Knit & Natter club have been busy making a new knitted scene for the village postbox.

Finally got my hands on one of the new CadburyUK’s White Dipped Twirl at @diamondsnews.bsky.social. That’s Saturday night’s treat sorted.

I’m hard to believe that’s it’s already 3 months since my mum passed away. I hope to carry on her legacy of selflessly helping others & I hope to make her proud every single day. Love you mum & I miss you every single day.

Let’s start this new week on a positive footing.

First attempt at making caramel squares. ❌ the biscuit base was too dry

Today is the Ballymena Show. We are taking my elderly neighbour who hasn’t missed a single show since he was born. I on the other hand have never been & don’t know what to expect.

Today was a long overdue return to the Causeway hospital. It wasn’t easy but I needed to go back & personally thank the nurses who looked after my mum. They gave mum incredible care for the last month of her life & I wanted to express my gratitude to them for doing that.

Thanks to the encompass system this has had a quicker outcome than expected. My last liver surveillance ultrasound 2 weeks ago discovered 2 liver nodules on the left side of my liver. This led to a major cancer scare due to them not being present on my previous scans

Important information for anyone with #IBD #Crohns #Colitis currently taking Mercaptopurine medication. There has been a recall of Mercaptopurine 50mg tablets. The medication manufacturer & batch number are included in the attached picture. So check your medication.

Found a Krispy Kreme doughnut cabinet in the Applegreen near Templepatrick 😍

Today was one of the toughest experiences I’ve ever had in hospital. Now to sit & wait for the scan results to arrive back. It’s safe to say I’m done with 2025.

It’s now official! I’ve been awarded a 12 month @leverhulme.ac.uk Trust research fellowship to look at disability and the supernatural in the early modern world. Quite chuffed tbf @usihs.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social @irishhistsoc.bsky.social

Frustrating to see yet more broken glass all over the footpaths this morning, especially since it’s was only cleaned up a few days ago. Yet again it’s in an area where people walk their pets & children play.

Posting this to counter the bile I’ve heard today.

People wonder why the 17,000 people diagnosed with IBD in Northern Ireland feel completely forgotten. Yesterday shows you why. It was World IBD Day & only 1 NI political representative acknowledged it. The health minister & members of the health committee didn’t acknowledge it. 🤷🏼‍♂️

#WorldIBDDay it takes courage #ibdawareness to talk about the hidden symptoms of #IBD and courage to live with the conditions Crohn's & Colitis UK crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/get-involved.... Have many ways you can support awareness #Courage

Today is #WorldIBDDay & it’s important to continue raising awareness of #crohns #colitis. This years theme is courage & for me courage is summed up by people living with IBD facing their symptoms each morning but still being after to get up & face the day. #CourageLooksLikeThis