Friday 19th April

Friday, 19 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a campaign to recruit an army of young people to act as conservation champions...and more.

Work starts today building a new eastbound carriageway as part of dualling the A303 between Sparkford and Podimore. National Highways says a section of the A303 will be shut with the newly built westbound carriageway used for traffic to create a safe working area to build the new eastbound carriageway between Steart Hill and Gason Lane. The work is due to be completed by 6 am on Monday.

A childhood obesity clinic in Somerset has revealed that it is treating children as young as eight months old. The Splash clinic is the only one of its kind in the country, providing families with a dietician and paediatric support.

Somerset Council says it hopes to continue a project supporting vulnerable homeless people in the county, despite its financial pressures. Step Together has helped nearly 600 people in the county in the last five years. Earlier this year, it was told its funding was at risk as Somerset Council struggled to balance its budget. It's now been given a one-year reprieve but says its clients need a more secure commitment.

Somerset Wildlife Trust is appealing for donations to raise £40,000 to support its Wilder Youth initiative, aimed at enabling young people to become conservation champions. Surveys have shown that many young people lose their connection to nature after the age of 10 and it can take up to 20 years for the connection to be re-established. Somerset Wildlife Trust believes the Wilder Youth initiative is a way of reconnecting young people with nature.

In cricket, the ECB has announced Somerset will be among the eight Tier 1 counties that will host sides at the top of the women’s domestic game from 2025, with two more guaranteed to be added by 2027. The governing body intends to grow that number to 12 by 2029, to have an 80% increase in female players by then.

Somerset Art Weeks Festival will return this year with a new theme. The festival which has been run every year since 1994 is inviting artists to contribute to the theme of Landscape: Flux and Flow. Organisers say it’s aimed at drawing attention to the changing local landscape and intimacy with the natural environment.

More from News

Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.
Thursday 17th April

The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Wednesday 16th April

Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
Tuesday 15th April

A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more