Yeovil Freewheelers, who deliver vital medical supplies between NHS sites across the South of England, has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Drivers in South Somerset are being asked to report overgrown grass verges where a risk to motorists and cyclists exists. Ninety percent of public rights of way in Somerset have been cleared and made ready for use. The proportion of people claiming out of work benefits is growing fastest in rural areas...and more.
Yeovil Freewheelers, who deliver vital medical supplies between NHS sites across the South of England, has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The organization, based at Yeovil Hospital, is the oldest surviving blood-bike group in the country and has been recognised for its work during the Covid pandemic.
Drivers in South Somerset are being asked to report overgrown grass verges where a risk to motorists and cyclists exists. Somerset County Council says priority is being given to cutting back overgrown roadside verges to ensure maximum safety for road users.
Ninety percent of public rights of way in Somerset have been cleared and made ready for use. The County has 9,000 public rights of way, covering almost 4,000 miles.
The proportion of people claiming out of work benefits is growing fastest in rural areas, including here in South Somerset, according to new data. Somerset County Council says the number of people claiming benefits across the County has doubled in the past year.
Solar panels are to be installed on eight council-owned buildings in Yeovil. Planning applications have been submitted for carrying out the work as part of a clean energy drive by South Somerset District Council. The buildings are:
The Jon O'Donnell Pavillion at Yeovil Recreation Centre
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.