“Ballymena BID has worked extremely hard with Council to get Ballymena Town centre open again. Independent retailers play such an important role and they are at the heart of the communities. It has been an exceptionally difficult time for businesses and local retail but I’m really pleased that we are starting to move in the right direction, and we are beginning to see shops across Mid and East Antrim reopen their doors.

“Every business has been affected but their resilience has been inspiring and I am really pleased that there is still so much positivity among our business community.”