Friday 26 April

Friday, 26 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A man has been arrested in Castle Cary and charged with stalking, harassment and making threats to kill. The NHS in Somerset says its staff retention rate has improved over the past two years. A farmer in South Petherton is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles to raise money for charity...and more.

A man has been charged with stalking, harassment and making threats to kill after being arrested in Castle Cary. Appearing at Yeovil Magistrates Court, Daniel Kellaway, aged 29, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody ahead of a Crown Court hearing in May.

The NHS in the county says its staff retention rate has improved over the past two years despite challenges faced by the health service at a national level. Figures from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust suggest its employee turnover rate has fallen from fourteen-point-six percent in July 2022 to ten-point-eight- percent in March 2024.

Retailers in Somerset have been found to have sold knives to children despite tougher legislation recently introduced. Shops can face fines of up to one million pounds but in an undercover operation by Avon and Somerset Police an underage child was found buying a machete-style blade. The British Retail Consortium says it takes the matter very seriously and has many retailers now signed up to a voluntary code of conduct run by the Home Office.

An Ilminster-based charity that helps adults with their support needs has celebrated its 20th anniversary. Shared Lives South West provides specialised support for individuals with learning disabilities, mental health issues, and dementia. The charity, which operates across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, is currently rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission.

A crane born in Somerset as part of a project to reintroduce the species in the UK has paired up with a mate. Sherry and her partner have been tracked flying to Aberdeenshire after meeting in France.

A farmer in South Petherton is preparing to cycle 1,000 miles to raise money for charity. Nick Bragg, of Frogmary Green Farm, is embarking on the challenge aiming to raise £10,000 for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution. Nick will start his marathon at the Northumberland County Show on May 26, travel via the Suffolk Show on May 30 and 31, and finish at the Royal Cornwall Show on June 6th.

More from News

Tuesday 19th August

Families struggling to pay for their children to have breakfast over the summer holidays are being offered free breakfast bags at a church in Chard. Police are appealing for information after a sentimental gold pocket watch was stolen in North Petherton. A Bridgwater man sets off today on a 200-mile cycle ride to Barnstaple and Exeter, raising money for Kidney Research UK...and more.
Monday 18th August

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack in Yeovil. Women in Street and Glastonbury are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to highlight unsafe areas to walk alone. A Nottinghamshire man, on a pub-crawl around Britain to help boost the pub trade, is currently visiting pubs in Somerset...and more.
Friday 15th August

Services and acts of remembrance are taking place across Yeovil & South Somerset for VJ Day. An Ilminster café has unveiled a new defibrillator in the town. A room, named in honour of a member of Somerset Council’s Public Health team, has been opened at Yeovil Library...and more.
Thursday 14th August

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would pay for part of the Octagon Theatre refurbishment. Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. A Yeovil fraudster has been jailed for almost three years...and more.
Wednesday 13th August

A coroner has raised concerns after the death of a newborn baby at Yeovil District Hospital. Revised plans for the construction of up to 360 homes in Ilminster will be put forward in the autumn. Somerset’s Local Community Networks are marking the start of their third year in the county...and more.
Tuesday 12th August

A new 'family style' children's home for vulnerable children has opened in Somerset. Railway services between Yeovil and Exeter will run less frequently and at a slower speed from this week. A Crewkerne man has been given a one-year driving ban for drug driving. Chard Town Council says the public toilets near Sainsbury’s have been deep cleaned in preparation for re-opening them...and more.
Monday 11th August

Bus drivers with First Bus in Somerset are being balloted about possible strike action. Six thousand pounds has been raised towards repairing a boat, used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett in Langport, after vandals damaged it. A hedgehog rescue charity in Somerset is facing closure due to a lack of funds...and more
Friday 8th August

Somerset Council has paused roadworks on Fore Street in Chard indefinitely due to unforeseen complications. A Somerset farming family says they've lost faith in the government over plans to introduce inheritance tax on farm estates. Memories are being revived of a Live Aid concert in Yeovil from 40 years ago, which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia.