Unmarked police vans will be in use across the Avon and Somerset force area this week aimed at catching persistent speeding motorists. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says progress is being made on a potential order for Leonardo to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. Chard ladies rugby team members have raised £5,300 by completing the Three Peaks Challenge...and more.
Unmarked police vans will be in use across the Avon and Somerset force area this week aimed at catching persistent speeding motorists. Equipped with 360-degree cameras and long-range detection, they’ll be spotting offences like speeding, seatbelt violations and illegal mobile phone use.
Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, says progress is being made on a potential order for Leonardo to build a new medium-lift helicopter for the RAF. Following a meeting with the Minister for Defence Procurement, he's had it confirmed that the Leonardo bid is the only one on the table for the £1.3 billion contract. In her written reply, the Minister says Leonardo’s bid is being examined to ensure it represents value for money, and that placing the order will not be delayed by the new Strategic Defence Review.
Members of Chard Ladies rugby team have raised £5,300 by completing the Three Peaks Challenge. In Scotland, they scaled the thirteen hundred meters of Ben Nevis, in Wales the eleven hundred meters of Snowdon, before travelling to the Lake District to climb the one thousand meters of Scafell Pike. The money has been divided equally between Chard Community Hub and Chard Rugby Club.
Organisers of this year’s Chard Christmas Present Appeal are hoping it will be their most successful for donations ever. They’re asking for donated toys and books suitable for children aged 0 to 16. The items will be given to children who might otherwise not receive any gifts this Christmas. Donations, including cash gifts, can be made through the Forefront Community Centre, South Chard Hub and Chard Community Hub. A spokesperson says donating just one toy will bring a smile to a child's face. The deadline to donate is November 15th.
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
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.