Somerset's hospitals, pharmacists and GPs are being sent detailed guidance for helping with the major expansion of the Covid booster programme. Police say they’ve stopped a large amount of drugs from circulating in Chard. Police are investigating a spate of thefts of tools from parked vans in Ilminster. The go-ahead has been given for a new farm shop to be built on the outskirts of Keinton Mandeville. One in ten people in the South West says they've been involved in a collision on a rural road...and more.
Somerset's hospitals, pharmacists and GPs are being sent detailed guidance for helping with the major expansion of the Covid booster programme. The government wants millions of people to book appointments over the coming weeks to head off the threat posed by the Omicron variant. Health leaders warn the rollout poses a "huge logistical challenge" for the NHS.
Police say they’ve stopped a large amount of drugs from circulating in Chard. It follows the arrest of a man who was carrying a bag containing drugs and also cash by members of the Chard Neighbourhood Police Team.
Police are investigating a spate of thefts of tools from parked vans in Ilminster. The Ilminster Police Neighbourhood Team is asking people who leave tools in vans overnight to stay vigilant and to report any suspicious activity.
The go-ahead has been given for a new farm shop to be built on the outskirts of Keinton Mandeville. South Somerset District Council approved the application at Newlands Farm on the grounds that it represents a justified farm diversification scheme that would benefit the local economy.
One in ten people in the South West says they've been involved in a collision on a rural road. Between 2018 and 2020, 372 people were killed on rural roads in the region with 103 killed on urban roads. NFU Mutual, British Cycling and The British Horse Society are now launching a "Respect Rural Roads" campaign to improve safety.
A new professional orchestra has launched in Somerset. The Chamber Orchestra of the West is making its debut tour of the county this week. Orchestra Leader, Jackie Shave says their aim is to bring live music to as many communities in Somerset as possible.
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.
The fire service has blamed a discarded portable barbecue for starting a blaze at Ham Hill Country Park. A care home for people with autism and complex needs in Crewkerne has been rated 'good'. A seven-year-old Yeovil boy has set a new world record for completing the most number of consecutive sit-ups for his age group...and more
Somerset Council is warning motorists against scanning QR codes at its car parks payment meters. Chard Town Council is spending £10,000 on short-term youth provision over the summer months. Former Yeovil Town player Marcus Stewart says he wants to continue raising money towards finding a cure for motor neurone disease...and more.