Friday 30th May

Friday, 30 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil Town Football Club has a new owner. Displays of birds and poultry at this year’s Royal Bath and West Show have been banned due to the spread of avian flu. Organisers of the Wessex Truck Show say they’ve cancelled holding it again in Yeovil. A storm thwarts a man from Martock's record-breaking attempt...and more.

Yeovil Town Football Club has a new owner. He’s Prabhu Srinivasan, who’s acquired the majority shareholding previously held by Martin Hellier. Mr Srinivasan has a background in banking, retail, technology, travel, and e-waste. He’s also credited with building one of the largest multi-sports youth platforms in India. The new owner and chairman has described his purchase of Yeovil Town FC as an exciting new journey in which he will focus on making a positive impact on the players, fans and local community.

First Bus has described a public meeting held in Yeovil to discuss passenger concerns as productive despite being strongly criticised over the reliability of local services. Passengers said they were fed up with late cancellations and route cuts, which First Bus attributed to driver shortages.

Displays of birds and poultry at this year’s Royal Bath and West Show have been banned due to the spread of avian flu. Tens of thousands of birds have died as a result of the latest outbreak, with DEFRA saying the impact on farmers has been devastating.

Organisers of the Wessex Truck Show say they’ve cancelled holding it again in Yeovil due to poor ticket sales, a lack of trade entries, and a major sponsor pulling out of the event.

A man from Martock, bidding to set a new world record for jumping off Mount Everest in a Wing Suit, has had to abandon the attempt. Tim Howell reached the summit of Everest, but a storm then set in, forcing him to abort the 300-meter descent.

This year’s Chard Town Crier Competition will be held on Saturday, June 28th. Featuring participants from as far afield as Australia, it will take place on Holyrood Street, outside Bath House, and begin with a parade of town criers at 10.15 am.

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Monday 28th July

A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
Friday 25th July

A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
Thursday 24th July

Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Wednesday 23rd July

Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
Tuesday 22nd July

Somerset Community Foundation has launched a "Together for West Somerset Appeal" to help families affected by last Thursday's school coach crash on Exmoor. People in Somerset are being encouraged to improve their recycling of food waste. Free family cooking sessions are being held in Chard. A new children’s soft play area is soon to open in Yeovil...and more
Monday 21st July

A GoFundMe page set up to support families of last week’s Exmoor bus crash, in which a 10-year-old boy died, has raised over forty thousand pounds. A local councillor is calling for the introduction of speed cameras on the A30, from Yeovil to Sherborne. A group from a school in Ilchester have hiked 26 miles across the Jurassic Coast to fundraise in memory of a school colleague...and more
Friday 18th July

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