Local News Wednesday 19th January

Wednesday, 19 January 2022 06:00

A rare gold coin, dating back to the 13th century, has been found on the Blackdown Hills. Somerset’s economy has suffered more than most during the pandemic due to it being too reliant on the hospitality sector. Chard has been given funding to help one hundred local people, not in work. Magna Housing says half of the twenty-eight new homes that it plans to build at Chilthorne Domer near Yeovil will be ‘affordable’...and more.

A rare gold coin, dating back to the 13th century, has been found on the Blackdown Hills, on the Somerset Devon border. It was discovered using a metal detector on farmland near Hemyock. The coin, minted during the reign of King Henry the third, is being sold at auction this weekend and could fetch up to half a million pounds.

Somerset’s economy has suffered more than most during the pandemic due to it being too reliant on the hospitality sector, according to new research. The study by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise says new policies for supporting the hospitality sector are urgently needed should the pandemic continue or a second pandemic arise in the future.

Chard has been given funding to help one hundred local people not in work become more physically active and equip them with the skills to move closer to employment. The project will see people, not in jobs given training to use social media, online banking, and the internet to search for jobs. The scheme’s funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund and is being run through Somerset County Council.

Magna Housing says half of the twenty-eight new homes that it plans to build at Chilthorne Domer near Yeovil will be ‘affordable’. South Somerset District Council is expected to make a decision on the planned development on Vagg Lane by early Spring.

Somerset Wildlife Trust is asking people to monitor the amount of frog and toad spawn in their local areas. The Trust says the information is needed to gauge the effects of climate change on the local environment, using the habits of frogs and toads as source material for the study.

A new tractor sales and serving business has opened at South Petherton. C & O Tractors, based in Blandford, have opened the new branch at premises, previously occupied by Medland & Sanders.

More from News

Friday 7th February

A Yeovil man has been fined £1,200 for sending hostile text messages to his ex-wife. A report into the performance of Avon and Somerset Police has found it doesn't answer emergency calls quickly enough. Twenty-two swimmers at the Trident Swimming Club in Chard have won places in this year’s Somerset County Swimming Championships...and more
Thursday 6th February

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a one-month-old baby boy in Chard. Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil has been highly praised by Ofsted. Somerset Council says it’s “extremely disappointed” after its bid to form a devolved Wessex group of local councils was rejected by the government...and more.
Wednesday 5th February

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, says they had no choice but to ask the government to allow them to lift the 5 percent cap on raising Council Tax. Two teenagers have been released on bail following the stabbing in Yeovil. More than six thousand pounds has been awarded to local groups by Chard Carnival Committee...and more.
Tuesday 4th February

Somerset has been permitted to increase its Council Tax share by 7.5 percent. An Ilminster man, forced out of his house by last week's floods, says he doesn't know when he will be able to return home. Ilminster Literary Festival has launched its annual children’s writing competition, designed to encourage local children to write creative literature...and more.
Monday 3rd February

Five men have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man in Yeovil. A 16-year-old is the second person to be arrested in connection with a stabbing in Yeovil. Yeovil’s new outdoor entertainment space in Lower Middle Street has been officially opened by the town’s MP... and more.
Friday 31st January

A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more
Thursday 30th January

Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more
Wednesday 29th January

New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more