Local News Wednesday 4th January

Wednesday, 4 January 2023 06:00

Councillors at South Somerset District Council meet tomorrow to decide on providing further funding to the Yeovil Refresh Project. A unit in Crewkerne for children who struggle with mainstream schooling is being praised for reducing school exclusions. A Somerton man’s been jailed for two years for attacking his wife with a knife. NFU Mutual in Yeovil has made a donation of £6,000 to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Sherborne Golf Club has been given planning permission to extend its clubhouse...and more.

Councillors at South Somerset District Council meet tomorrow to decide on providing further funding to the Yeovil Refresh Project. Yeovil Refresh, aimed at improving the look of Yeovil town centre, is already £4 million over budget with two years of work still to be completed. Now, councillors are being asked to provide a further £2 million to cover unplanned works, pushing up the budget for the project to £24.1 million.

A unit in Crewkerne for children who struggle with mainstream schooling is being praised for reducing school exclusions. The Apex Centre uses therapy techniques like animal therapy, forestry and cooking to teach children. It’s run by the Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust which say exclusions at its seven primary and secondary schools are down by 30%.

A Somerton man’s been jailed for two years for attacking his wife with a knife. Paul Green of Pearmain Road pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm when he appeared at Taunton Crown Court.

A Bruton man has been recognized in the New Year's Honours. John Bishton has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the preservation of historic buildings in Bruton.

NFU Mutual in Yeovil has made a donation of £6,000 to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The money will go towards the two million pounds the air ambulance needs to raise every year to keep its helicopter flying.

Sherborne Golf Club has been given planning permission to extend its clubhouse. The club says the single-storey flat roof extension will allow it to provide a new function room and extend the patio area.

New homes for birds and bats have been provided at Yeovil Recreational Centre. Staff at the centre off Mudford Road have built bird and bat nesting boxes using recycled pallet boxes and positioned them around the site to encourage more birds and bats to nest in the area.

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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