Local News Tuesday 30th August

Tuesday, 30 August 2022 06:00

The results of a structural survey carried out at Milford Junior School in Yeovil have led to it being closed with immediate effect. An Ilminster man has appeared in court charged with burglary at the Chard waste recycling centre. A Yeovil girl who suffers from long Covid has raised more than ten-and-a-half thousand pounds for 'NHS Charities Together'. An LGBT+ parade is set to return to Yeovil next month. The number of abandoned pets being taken to animal charities in Somerset is on the rise, according to the RSPCA...and more.

The results of a structural survey carried out at Milford Junior School in Yeovil have led to it being closed with immediate effect. The closure of the building will mean that 400 pupils at Milford Junior School being taught online for the first week back after the summer break. Children will then return for face-to-face lessons at other schools in Yeovil, a week later than planned on September 12th. No structural concerns were found at the Milford Infants but the return of children there has also been delayed as a precaution.

An Ilminster man has appeared in court charged with burglary at the Chard waste recycling centre. Jason Woods of The Mead in Ilminster was caught on CCTV breaking into the site and taking tools and other items. Woods, who pleaded guilty to the offence, was given a conditional discharge by magistrates in Yeovil.

A Yeovil girl who suffers from long Covid has raised more than ten-and-a-half thousand pounds for 'NHS Charities Together'. Emily Saville had to learn to walk again after being infected with Covid two years ago. Her Dad, Chris, says Emily has built-up her strength by walking laps around the garden at home and is overwhelmed by the public’s support for her fundraising efforts.

An LGBT+ parade is set to return to Yeovil next month. Called "Yeovil Does Pride" it’s being organised by the Yeovil Diversity Project and takes place on Saturday, September 3rd. The event will consist of a parade through the town, leading to Yeovil Country Park for a picnic, speeches, and live music.

The number of abandoned pets being taken to animal charities in Somerset is on the rise, according to the RSPCA. It's being put down to the rising cost of living, with owners unable to afford to feed their pets.

Somerset County Council has announced a revised date to complete work installing new traffic lights on Lysander Road, by Morrisons, in Yeovil. The work had been due to finish at the end of August. But the County Council says the deadline was indicative and that providing all goes to plan the new lights will be in place and working by Monday, September 12th.

Work begins today building a new access road to a housing development in Canal Way, Ilminster. The work’s expected to take two weeks to complete.

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Thursday 24th July

Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
Wednesday 23rd July

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
Tuesday 22nd July

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
Monday 21st July

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
Friday 18th July

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
Thursday 17th July

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
Wednesday 16th July

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