Local News Wednesday 26th May

Wednesday, 26 May 2021 06:00

Hundreds more jobs have been created to help with building the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. A vehicle has been destroyed by fire in Castle Cary. A fundraising campaign has been started by Yeovil Town to support the family of former club captain Lee Collins, who died in March. Chard School is celebrating its 350th anniversary this week. Engineering work, due to take place on a rail line between Yeovil and Weymouth this weekend has been postponed.

Hundreds more jobs have been created to help with building the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. The firm running the project, EDF, says it’s taking on another seventeen hundred workers that will bring the total number on the site to seven thousand.

Somerset’s four District Councils have been told to apologise after sending out a link to a spoof website. The offending link, which mocks senior figures at Somerset County Council, was included in the literature supporting the public vote over the future of local government in the county. The Secretary of State for Local Government, Robert Jenrick has called the error a ‘serious failure’ that ‘risks undermining the reputation and standing of local government. The District Councils have yet to make public their reply to Mr. Jenrick after he criticised them for staging the countywide poll, describing it as ‘not needed’ and a waste of public money.

A vehicle has been destroyed by fire in Castle Cary. It happened in the early hours of Tuesday (25-05), in Weir Lane. Fire service says the vehicle was left totally burnt out.

A fundraising campaign has been started by Yeovil Town to support the family of former club captain Lee Collins, who died in March. Yeovil Town are raising funds for Lee's partner and young children and mental health charities, with 10% of the donations given to Young Minds through a collaboration with his former clubs. There will also be a celebration of Lee's life when Yeovil plays Stockport County at Huish Park on Saturday.

Engineering work, due to take place on a rail line between Yeovil and Weymouth this weekend has been postponed due to it being a Bank Holiday and to avoid unnecessary disruption for passengers. GWR says the job of laying new tracks around Chetnole has been moved to later in the year.

Chard School is celebrating its 350th anniversary this week. The school was founded in Chard in 1671 by William Symes who gifted the Manor House Chard for a school. Pupils have been taking part in historic activities and local mayor, Jason Baker, attended a celebratory assembly earlier in the week.

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Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.
Thursday 17th April

The father of a one-month-old baby boy in Chard is to stand trial for the murder of his son. New figures show that just under 1300 crimes were reported to the Police in Yeovil during the final quarter of last year. A night in a prison cell is offered at Shepton Mallet Jail to those who want to be alone this Easter...and more.
Wednesday 16th April

Big changes are being made to where taxi ranks in Yeovil are located. Farmers are being told to keep an extra lookout for people acting suspiciously following the latest livestock theft near the Devon and Somerset border. Channel 4’s Location Location Location is coming to Somerset, with anyone looking to buy a property locally invited to apply to be in the show...and more
Tuesday 15th April

A 36-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault in Yeovil. Yeovil Labour Club has had its drinks licence revoked. NHS Somerset has been taking its physiotherapy team around the county to cut waiting times for patients. A men-only cooking course has been launched in Sherborne with all ingredients and equipment provided free of charge...and more
Monday 14th April

A new banking hub has opened in Crewkerne. South Western Ambulance is asking people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency over the Easter weekend. £1.8 million is being spent improving walking and cycling routes around a major new housing development at Up Mudford in Yeovil...and more
Friday 11th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in Yeovil in which a man riding an e-bike was injured and later died in hospital. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says the number of false alarm calls it receives is on the increase. A new micro-pub opens in Chard next week...and more