Tourism businesses in Somerset say lifting Covid travel restrictions helped make the Easter Bank Holiday their best for bookings for two years. Around 5,000 children in Somerset will be starting at the primary school of their choice in September. A project to re-wild churchyards in Somerset is being rolled out further afield. A Chard motorist has been fined £574 for speeding. The price of off-peak train tickets on services through Somerset will be cut by as much as a half next month...and more.
Tourism businesses in Somerset say lifting Covid travel restrictions helped make the Easter Bank Holiday their best for bookings for two years. Sally England, who runs Thorney Lakes Caravan Park, near Langport, believes the upturn was due to people not travelling long distances because of higher fuel costs.
Around 5,000 children in Somerset will be starting at the primary school of their choice in September. Figures for pre-school children show ninety-eight percent of them have been offered places in the reception class at one of their top three school choices.
A project to re-wild churchyards in Somerset is being rolled out further afield. The Wilder Churches project is run by the Somerset Wildlife Trust in conjunction with the Diocese of Bath and Wells. It started a year ago and has already seen a big improvement in wildflowers, habitat and biodiversity in Somerset's churchyard
A Chard motorist has been fined £574 for speeding. Richard Lacey, who lives in Halcombe, was caught driving at 93 mph on the A35 in Puddletown in Dorset. Lacey also had five penalty points put on his licence.
The price of off-peak train tickets on services through Somerset will be cut by as much as a half next month. It’s part of an initiative by the government and train operators to encourage more people to travel by train
Yeovil boxer, Dean Dodge is gearing up for another crack at winning the Southern Area Super-Featherweight title. He missed taking the title losing on points to Danny Carr last February. Dean will fight Reece Bellotti for the Southern Area title at York Hall in London this Friday.
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.
A Yeovil woman has shared how she is still on the waiting list for a transplant, a year on. A Crewkerne community group saved two tonnes of food from landfill last month and gave it to residents in need. Yeovil Town have announced their fixture list for the 2025/26 season....and more.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat health alert for the South West. A former Cherry Farm in Chard has donated its netting and high-tensile wire to Somerset Aid for Ukraine. Somerset Council is moving forward with its next phase of plans for the county...and more.