A new classroom block at Fairmead Special School in Yeovil has been officially opened by the Princess Royal, Princess Anne. A public car park in Yeovil town centre could be turned into a car wash. National Highways says it will consider all public comments on the plan to dual the A358 between Ilminster and the M5 at Taunton. Efforts are being stepped up to attract more young people into engineering in Somerset. People in Chard are being asked for their comments on a new draft strategy for the town's future...and more.
A new classroom block at Fairmead Special School in Yeovil has been officially opened by the Princess Royal, Princess Anne. The building has created six new classrooms and a state-of-the-art sports facility. Fairmead School now has enough classroom space to accommodate 140 children.
A public car park in Yeovil town centre could be turned into a car wash. The site in South Street, opposite Club Neo, would be fitted fencing and gates and the creation of improved access.
National Highways says it will consider all public comments on the plan to dual the A358 between Ilminster and the M5 at Taunton. The latest proposals for the widening of the A358 were published last week with people expressing concerns about access when the road is dualled.
Efforts are being stepped up to attract more young people into engineering in Somerset. A campaign aimed at schools has been launched highlighting the lack of young people applying for engineering apprenticeships. Leigh Howarth from Somerset-based M-CNC Precision Engineers wants to schools to do more to promote engineering as a career choice.
People in Chard are being asked for their comments on a new draft strategy for the town's future. It follows an earlier consultation in June by South Somerset District Council. The strategy includes ideas about transport, planning and shops. Sessions will be held at the Guildhall in Chard on Sat 23rd, Mon 25th and Tues 26th of November for residents to comment.
Parents in Somerset can now book a Covid jab for their teenage children. Appointments are available throughout the school half-term holiday. To book a jab go online to the NHS Covid vaccination website or call 119.
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.
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.
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
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
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
EDF has completed another milestone in constructing the new 'Hinkley C' nuclear power plant near Bridgwater. The Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire opens today with helicopters built in Yeovil on display. A road leading to Chard reservoir, shut two months ago for strengthening work to a dam wall, has re-opened...and more
Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he has serious concerns about plans that could see the closure of inpatient beds at Crewkerne Community Hospital. Ilminster residents are being asked to vote in a referendum on adopting a new neighbourhood plan for the town. An event in which people take part in a race against horses is returning to Somerset later this year...and more
A children’s play area in Ilminster has been closed on safety grounds after badger setts were found on the land. Somerset Council sold off £90m of property assets last year to help fight off bankruptcy. Crewkerne Community Hospital could be turned into a neighbourhood health centre...and more.