Other News In Brief

BBC Urged To Embrace Mid-Term Review

Following the publication of the BBC Mid-Term Review by the Culture Secretary, DUP East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell has said that the Corporation should embrace such opportunities to ensure it meets the rigorous standards that it sets itself.

Campbell said: "The BBC has been a significant national institution here in the United Kingdom. Its mission is laudable and would be supported by most. The greatest threat to the Corporation comes when it strays from those aims and mission.

"The Mid-Term Review therefore is an opportunity that should be embraced by the BBC as it seeks to ensure that greater impartiality is achieved. Similarly for an institution spanning the entirety of the United Kingdom, having a workforce which is both representative and spread across the nation.

"It is welcome that this review will take place over a relatively short space of time, concluding in 2024. The BBC must be able to adapt and change to the world around it. That is true whether in relation to this review or the funding model which sustains it. If there is any type of corporate attempt to delude itself that the BBC is fine and nothing should change then it will ultimately be the author of its own downfall."

NI Food And Craft Festival To Return Across Antrim

The Northern Ireland Food and Craft Festival is set to return from 1st – 3rd July.

Taking place throughout Antrim the event brought more than 35,000 people out last year to sample the best tastes and sounds of NI.

A combined effort from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, The Junction, Urban Events NI and Castle Mall, the festival will showcase the very best of local food and beverage producers, food trucks, chefs, demonstrations, craft enthusiasts and family entertainers that Northern Ireland has to offer.

This year's festival will feature an opening night concert in the town's Market Square, headlined by the ultimate 80s tribute band, Pleaseuredome, supported by local acts Tyler Michael and Acapella Belles.

CAFRE Student Jamie Gault Pam Pointer Award Winner

College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) student, Jamie Gault has been awarded the Pam Pointer Award in recognition of his outstanding achievement in academic and practical Horticulture.

Jamie is currently studying for a Foundation Degree in Horticulture at Greenmount Campus, Antrim. He is one of four students from the UK to be rewarded by the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH). The prize includes an invitation to attend the autumn conference of the CIH at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh where he will formally collect his award and one year's free Associate Membership of the professional organisation.

Commenting on receiving the award Jamie said: "I am delighted to be recognised by the CIH. Membership of the organisation will enable me to network with industry representatives and further assist my professional development."