Local News Monday 30th May

Monday, 30 May 2022 06:00

South Somerset District Council says it’s planning to begin the £30 million pound upgrade to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in January. It’s been announced that Bruton School for Girls is to permanently close in July due to a drop in pupil numbers. Conservation groups are warning walkers in Somerset to beware of disturbing baby deer over the next few weeks. A report has found what caused a flight from RNAS Yeovilton to crash last summer narrowly avoiding houses...and more.

South Somerset District Council says it’s planning to begin the £30 million pound upgrade to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in January. The redevelopment will include a fly tower, expanding the main auditorium capacity from 622 to 900, and creating two smaller cinema or studio spaces, with a dance studio and community studio. The Council says the project is subject to an ongoing review but the current plan is for the Octagon to close for work to begin early in the New Year.

It’s been announced that Bruton School for Girls is to permanently close in July due to a drop in pupil numbers. In 2018 the school had 199 pupils. The predicted number on roll from September is 45. Bruton School for Girls is part of The King's School Bruton Foundation. The two other schools in the Foundation, King's of Bruton and Hazlegrove, are not affected by the decision.

Conservation groups are warning walkers in Somerset to beware of disturbing baby deer over the next few weeks. Pregnant deer are currently giving birth and nursing their young across the Mendips and the Blackdown Hills. A new campaign is asking people not to approach young deer hidden in the grass and to keep dogs under close control.

A report has found what caused a flight from RNAS Yeovilton to crash last summer narrowly avoiding houses. The Hawker Sea Fury’s crankpin failed causing the engine to seize less than five minutes after take off. The pilot and his passenger both escaped without serious injury.

A petition’s been started calling on Somerset County Council to ban trail hunting on land that it owns and manages. The petition organisers, The League Against Cruel Sports, say trail hunting is a smokescreen for illegal hunting and claim that Somerset remains a hotspot for fox and deer hunting.

A shop in Chard has presented a cheque for £760 to Chard Hospital League of Friends. The Original Factory Shop on Great Western Road in Chard raised the money by selling carrier bags and holding a Christmas Bingo.

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Friday 26 April

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.
Thursday 25th April

The NHS is offering spring COVID-19 vaccines to people in Somerset who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus. A new way of making roads safer for children in Somerset has started this week. A Yeovil-based apprentice has been named as a winner in the JTL Regional Awards. Haselbury Mill near Crewkerne has been put up for sale...and more
Wednesday 24th April

Yeovil Town FC have sent a strongly worded letter to the Football Association asking for plans to end FA Cup replays to be dropped. A Somerset woman who's spent the last 32 years living with Hepatitis C, says better support is needed for those affected by the contaminated blood scandal. A new school of musical theatre has opened in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 23rd April

Two teenage boys have admitted animal cruelty after filming themselves throwing a lamb down a stone staircase at Montacute. Somerset Council could lose around £5 million by selling the Marks and Spencer building in Yeovil. Chard, Wincanton, Castle Cary and Ansford are on a list of fifteen places in Somerset where new 20 mph speed limits could soon be introduced...and more.
Monday 22nd April

The parents of a two-week-old baby boy, accused of his murder at Yeovil Hospital, are to stand trial. Protesters have splashed red paint across the front of County Hall in Taunton for a second time. A comedy film about the world of competitive marrow-growing and made in Shepton Mallet has opened in cinemas across the UK...and more.
Friday 19th April

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.
Thursday 18th April

A Martock man has been jailed after admitting to shining lasers at aircraft flying over Yeovil. Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the TK Maxx store at Babylon Hill. Nearly four hundred people have put their names forward for redundancy at Somerset Council...and more.
Wednesday 17 April

Three local primary schools have been named on a list of England's top five hundred primary schools. A new co-working space for businesswomen has opened in Wincanton. Urgent repairs are being carried out to Ilminster's new public clock after it started showing the wrong time...and more