As Northern Ireland continues to move forward this week with the lifting of further restrictions, McKees is encouraging businesses to rethink and reimagine their operational activity and put a plan in place to help achieve continued growth. As part of this, the Belfast law firm has launched a new initiative to provide advice and tips to help businesses thrive in the months and years ahead.

Northern Ireland’s first ever outdoor forest school has announced the launch of two new summer camp locations and the creation of 16 new jobs.

Northern Ireland’s leading coach travel company is back on the road again with the launch of a series of new day trips following the easing of restrictions.

A period of public consultation has begun following the submission of a proposal to the Education Authority by a Parental Steering Group in the Mid Down area to establish a new Integrated Post Primary School accommodating 600 pupils.

Two giants of Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality industry, Hastings Hotels and Jawbox Gin, have joined forces to unveil the world’s largest bottle of gin and launch, G & Tea, an exclusive afternoon tea with a twist, in Ireland’s tallest cocktail bar, the Observatory at the Grand Central Hotel.

As the property market in Northern Ireland continues to thrive, and the increased demand pushes up property prices, more and more homeowners are taking advantage and remortgaging to free up capital.

Northern Ireland’s first major post-lockdown art fair is set to feature the largest collection of sculpture to be displayed on the island of Ireland.

Mid-Ulster based company, MCG Investments, has experienced in excess of a 300% in growth in the first quarter of 2021 as a result of changing its business model due to the pandemic. Moving from working solely on its own property portfolio, it has expanded its service to include private investors and joint venture partners, which has led to the creation of four new jobs.

FOLLOWING last week’s easing of restrictions, the Culloden Estate has now reopened its innovative MediSpa and welcomed the launch of the Holywood Private Clinic which offers private GP appointments, minor surgery and a range of healthcare services.

VERMILION Cosmetic Clinic, which had its original opening delayed due to the pandemic, has opened its doors and created four new jobs.

THE five-star Culloden Estate & Spa is proud to announce that it has been hand-picked as the only property in Northern Ireland to join the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).

A leading Northern Ireland wellness company has expanded with the launch of a new service to help local employers create a strategic wellbeing plan for employees and has secured one of the world’s leading professional services business, Herbert Smith Freehills, as one of its first clients.

90 employees from Hastings Hotels have completed a ‘March Forward’ challenge in aid of Action Cancer and in doing so have walked, run or cycled over 30,000 Kilometres in total, equivalent to the distance from Belfast to Australia and back, and have raised £10,000 in one month.

As part of Budget 2021, mortgages have become more accessible and affordable for first-time buyers in Northern Ireland.

ARMAGH based accountancy firm, Wylie Ruddell, is celebrating its tenth year in business which continues to grow despite the challenging economic climate.

This week marks one-year since businesses across Northern Ireland started making the move to remote working, many for the first time. And as we look forward to the Executive’s Pathway to Recovery in the weeks and months ahead, businesses are beginning to consider their plans for making a return to the office and what that will look like.

CHILDREN and young people from across Northern Ireland have put pen to paper and shared their experiences of the pandemic by creating ‘Letters of Lockdown’ which have been published in a booklet.

A new female empowerment initiative has been launched to help encourage, support and inspire ladies across Northern Ireland in their personal development - and membership is FREE until Friday 31st December 2021.

MCG Investments, based in Mid Ulster, has announced two free online events that will bring together some of the leading experts in the local property industry to provide insights into the future of Northern Ireland’s commercial market post pandemic and advice to help first-time buyers hoping to buy their first home.

HASTINGS Hotels has been crowned ‘Best Luxury Hotels Collection – Northern Ireland’ and also picked up the ‘Client Service Excellence Award 2021’ at this year’s LUX Travel & Tourism Awards.

Caitlin Lopes, Grand Central Hotel’s Pastry Chef and Commissionaire, John Dodd (right), are joined by Martin Donnelly from Value Cabs as the hotel gets ready to provide complimentary freshly made pancakes for key health workers and taxi drivers to takeaway on Pancake Tuesday.
Whilst the majority of hospitality remains closed, the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast is open for key workers and is inviting those passing by on Tuesday to enjoy some takeaway treats.

In March 2020, the coronavirus triggered an economic tsunami in the UK and Ireland. The economic reality is stark. The Bank of England has warned that the UK economy is facing its worst recession for 300 years and Ireland’s Central Bank said that coronavirus has caused an economic shock unprecedented in scale and speed.

A tenth of people in Northern Ireland rate their first kiss as “horrible” – with twice as many women as men describing it this way, a new survey reveals.

Commenting on Budget 2021, Tanya McGeehan, Managing Director of MCG Investments said: “As every household in Northern Ireland appreciates, balancing the books is always a challenge.  As Chancellor of the Exchequer, with a £355 billion hole in UK public finances following a global pandemic, Rishi Sunak’s budget announcement has been more nervously awaited than usual by both business owners and ordinary citizens alike. 

Including a new Chromebook for every incoming Year 8 pupil

BELFAST based law firm, McKees, has opened its 2021 Trainee Solicitor Programme for applications.

AS part of Children’s Mental Health Week (1st – 7th February), Holistic Kidz, is offering a series of free, fun online wellness classes and a ‘Bundle of Zen’ handbook to help support and improve the well-being of children during these worrying times.

In welcome news for employers, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended until April 2021. In addition to this, the furlough guidance has been updated to include a number of new factors.

To celebrate the last weekend of Dry January, the Observatory in the Grand Central Hotel has shared an exquisite non-alcoholic cocktail recipe.

THE Observatory in the Grand Central Hotel has been named one of the must visit bars of 2021 by The Sunday Telegraph.

The SME Support Forum has launched a Small Business Showcase initiative aimed at shining a light on some of the fantastic local businesses from across Northern Ireland who have continued to adapt and survive despite the many challenges they have faced over the last year.

HASTINGS Hotels and AV Browne are celebrating after winning the Best Brand Building category and being Highly Commended in Best Integrated Campaign for the heart-warming ‘Doorman and the Duck’ Christmas campaign at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Marketing (Ireland) Awards.

The five-star Culloden Estate and Spa, which has entertained A-list couples such as Victoria and David Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, is celebrating after picking up the major accolade of Best Hotel for Romance at the prestigious Readers’ Travel Awards 2020 organised by Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.