Local News Monday 6th December

Monday, 6 December 2021 06:00

Yeovil Carnival could be revived next year. South Somerset District Council is planning to buy a property in Yeovil to drive forward its regeneration of the town centre. A teenager who took police on a high-speed chase around country lanes in Crewkerne has been given was a suspended prison sentence. Owners of cats in South Somerset that are aged 20-weeks and over will need to have them microchipped. Businesses in South Somerset are being encouraged to sign up for a new initiative to tackle food waste...and more.

Yeovil Carnival could be revived next year. Carnival in Yeovil folded in 2005 due to a lack of volunteers and plans to reinstate it in 2019 also failed due to roads works in the town centre. Now, a new committee has been formed and they are holding a public meeting to gather support on January 26th at the 94 Club in Middle Street, Yeovil.

South Somerset District Council is planning to buy a property in Yeovil to drive forward its regeneration of the town centre. Work on improving Westminster Street and Wine Street as part of the Yeovil Refresh project is already underway. A major upgrade of The Triangle in Lower Middle Street is due to start late next year. The Council hasn’t said which property they plan to buy but say owning it will mean the start date on one of the improvement schemes in Yeovil town centre can be brought forward.

A teenager who took police on a high-speed chase around country lanes in Crewkerne has been given was a suspended prison sentence. Taunton Crown Court was told that 19-year-old Theodore Galpin put his foot down when police tried to speak to him about not having a driving licence. He overtook a van on a blind bend, narrowly missed a walker and his dog and almost hit a cyclist. When he was eventually stopped, police found there were three other people in the car. Galpin who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving was also banned from driving for 30-months.

Owners of cats in South Somerset that are aged 20-weeks and over will need to have them microchipped and their contact details stored in a database under a new scheme announced by the government. Owners who don’t comply could face a fine of £500 pounds.

A former pub in Castle Cary could be converted into a convenience store. A planning application has been submitted for a ‘change of use’ on the former Horse Pond Inn into a Co-op shop. The plans also include the addition of three new homes on the site. South Somerset District Council is due to consider the application early in the New Year.

Businesses in South Somerset are being encouraged to sign up for a new initiative to tackle food waste. The tourism organisation ‘Visit West’ has partnered with ‘Too Good - To Go’ a company that helps cafes, restaurants and hotels sell food at a discounted rate that would otherwise be thrown away.

Chard business owners are being invited to apply for grants to improve the appearance of their shop fronts. A consultation launching later this week will lay out how different parts of the town should appear and how shop fronts could be enhanced. The scheme’s being run by South Somerset District Council through the Chard High Street Heritage Action Fund.

Yeovil Town will be number 45 in the draw for the third round of the FA Cup tonight. You can see the draw being made on ITV4 at 7 pm.

More from News

Friday 3rd May

Labour’s Clare Moody is the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. Somerset Council is looking to buy the Glovers Walk Shopping Centre in Yeovil, including Yeovil Bus Station. One of the biggest events in Yeovil’s outdoor calendar, the Abbey Hill Steam Rally, starts today...and more.
Thursday 2nd May

Voting is taking place today to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset. NHS Somerset says the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital will stay open until a new replacement unit is built in Dorchester. A supermarket worker has retired after spending 52 years working at the same store in Ilminster...and more.
Wednesday 1st May

SUEZ, the company that collects Somerset’s waste is warning it may cease operations. Twenty thousand pounds is being spent cleaning red paint off the front of County Hall in Taunton following a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. An occupational therapist at Yeovil Hospital has won an award for her smart appearance at work...and more.
Tuesday 30th April

Somerset Council is taking legal action to remove an arms company from one of its commercial properties. Waste collection days across Somerset are set to change next month due to two impending bank holidays. An archaeological survey has begun on the proposed site of a new skate park in Bruton... and more.
Monday 29th April

Somerset’s busiest speed camera in 2023 has been revealed as the camera on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between the Podimore Roundabout and the Hazelgrove Roundabout. Bus campaigners are calling on Somerset Council to keep the public toilets open at Yeovil bus station. The funeral has taken place in Yeovil of D-Day veteran, Bill Tolley, who has died at the age of 97...and more.
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.