Local News Tuesday 28th July

    Somerset Waste Partnership says the county's recycling rate is at an all-time high. The NHS says more blood donors are urgently needed in Somerset. A new survey has been launched to find out how to best support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Somerset and the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station is bringing his one-man show to Yeovil.

    Somerset Waste Partnership says the county's recycling rate is at an all-time high. It jumped to over 56 percent last year making it the highest increase since records began 20 years ago. The increase is believed to be due to the new ‘Recycle More’ initiative that has seen plastic pots, tubs, and trays added to weekly pick-ups. 

    The NHS says more blood donors are urgently needed in Somerset. There is a particular need for people with O-positive blood to come forward. NHS Somerset says blood stocks have fallen due to cancellations caused by Covid and the drop in donations that happens at this time of year. Meanwhile, the NHS says it's stepping up efforts to deal with the list of six thousand people who've been waiting for more than two years for surgery by offering more of them treatment in different parts of the country. It says it will pay travel and accommodation costs, with some orthopaedic patients from Somerset going to London for operations. 

    A new survey has been launched to find out how to best support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Somerset. Anyone who has been in contact with the Somerset S.E.N. services over the past year is asked to share their views and experiences in the survey. The anonymous survey organized by Somerset County Council, NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group and the Somerset Parent Carer Forum, runs until Monday, September 19th.

    The first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station is bringing his one-man show to Yeovil. Tim Peake will stage ‘My Journey To Space’ at Westlands in March next year. Tim, who before becoming an astronaut worked at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil, will be talking about his life and showing video of his trip into space. 
     

    More from News

    • 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

    • Tuesday 16th April

      A new operator has been found to run a Chard care home that has been at risk of closure. A licence has been granted to run a new music festival in West Dorset. People have until midnight tonight to register for a vote in the election for a Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset...and more.

    • Monday 15th April

      Four people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the illegal supply of prescription-only drugs in Yeovil. A Yeovil man has appeared in court in connection with two burglaries in Langport. A well-known farm and restaurant business in South Petherton has been put up for sale. New figures have shown a further decline in the number of House Sparrows in Somerset...and more.

    • Friday 12th April

      Yeovil Town will play National League football next season after beating Truro 2-0 last night to win promotion and the National League South title. Somerset Council says the cost of keeping Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre closed has risen to £140,000 a year. A holiday website has reported a 31 percent upturn in visitor numbers to Somerset...and more.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

    • Chard

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

    • Crewkerne

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

    • Somerton

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

    • Wincanton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

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