Local News Wednesday 11th May

    Today is Somerset Day. It’s the day in the year when we’re encouraged to ‘Fly the Somerset Flag, celebrate the County’s great heritage, and explore the beauty of the Somerset landscape. A surge in passport applications is threatening the holiday plans of families across Somerset, according to local a travel agent. The government has given a further one million pounds to support the opening of ten new children’s homes in Somerset. Local animal charities say they've seen a big rise in the number of people bringing in cats, dogs and rabbits, in particular...and more.

    Today is Somerset Day. It’s the day in the year when we’re encouraged to ‘Fly the Somerset Flag, celebrate the County’s great heritage, and explore the beauty of the Somerset landscape. A full list of events marking Somerset Day can be found on the Somerset Day website.

    A surge in passport applications is threatening the holiday plans of families across Somerset, according to local travel agent, Miles Morgan. He says a record number of renewal applications made nationally has led to long delays in processing applications at the passport office. 

    The government has given a further 1-million pounds to support the opening of ten new children’s homes in Somerset. The homes, which are designed to allow children with complex needs to be supported without sending them miles away from their families, are due to open by 2026. The locations for the new homes have yet to be announced.

    Local animal charities say they've seen a big rise in the number of people bringing in cats, dogs and rabbits, in particular. It's thought the issue’s been made worse by the cost of living and the price of pet ownership rising dramatically. 

    The line-up’s been announced for this year’s Shindig Festival which takes place on the Dillington Estate near Ilminster later this month. Amongst those appearing are New York’s Grammy-winning hip-hop trio De La Soul and the prophet of acid jazz, Roy Ayers. Shindig Festival is on from Thursday the 26th to Sunday the 29th of May at Dillington.

    Children at local schools in Wincanton have planted twelve oak saplings in support of the Queen’s Green Canopy, marking her Platinum Jubilee. Pupils from King Arthur's, Wincanton Primary and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Primary schools, planted the trees in Wrixon’s View with the help of members and staff of Wincanton Town Council, the Women's Institute and One Planet Wincanton.

    More from News

    • 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.

    • 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

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Heavy rain shower

      High: 13°C | Low: 6°C

    • Chard

      Light rain

      High: 13°C | Low: 5°C

    • Crewkerne

      Light rain

      High: 13°C | Low: 5°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain

      High: 13°C | Low: 5°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 13°C | Low: 5°C

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