Local News Wednesday 22nd September

Wednesday, 22 September 2021 06:00

Leonardo in Yeovil says 70 UK-based companies would benefit if it wins a critical order to build a fleet of new medium-sized helicopters for the British military. Police are hunting for a Yeovil man in connection with a number of offences including rape and false imprisonment. Recycling centres in South Somerset will be reverting to winter opening hours from next month. A grandmother from Chard has raised £1500 for the NHS with a sponsored wing-walk...and more.

Leonardo in Yeovil says 70 UK-based companies would benefit if it wins a critical order to build a fleet of new medium-sized helicopters for the British military. It’s pitching the AW 149 against a rival bid from Boeing. Leonardo claims that for every £1 spent on building a Leonardo helicopter in the UK £2.40 flows back into the economy. It’s thought the government will announce who has won the contract in the next few weeks.

Police are hunting for a Yeovil man in connection with a number of offences including rape and false imprisonment. He’s Curtis Yaldiz, aged 24, white, 6ft tall, of slim build, with short brown hair. Police say not to approach him but to call 999.

Leaders of Somerset’s four district councils have written to the government expressing concern about the number of councillors who will sit on the new one Somerset Council. Currently, across all councils in Somerset there are 255 councilors but this could drop to just 85 on the new unitary council.

Recycling centres in South Somerset will be reverting to winter opening hours from next month. From Friday, October 1st, local recycling sites will be open from 9 am to 5 pm, while weekends remain the same 9 am to 4 pm.

A grandmother from Chard has raised £1500 for the NHS with a sponsored wing-walk. Patricia Dare stood on the wing of a biplane for 10-minutes in a flight over Devon. Patricia described the experience as exhilarating even though it left her feeling a little stiff in the shoulder.

Somerset's cider producers say they're cautiously optimistic of reaping a good crop as the autumn harvest gets underway. Last year, many apples were wasted because of lockdown.

Yeovil Town are in action tonight – they’re playing Bridgwater United in the Somerset Premier Cup at Huish Park, kick-off at 7.45 pm. Tickets are £5 with Under 16’s let-in for just £1.

More from News

Friday 25th July

A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
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

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.