Thursday 29th February

Thursday, 29 February 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

It’s hoped that businesses in Yeovil will benefit from a new £4 billion car battery-making factory being built near Bridgwater. A consultation is underway into plans to shut the Sunnymeade care home in Chard. Women in Wincanton are being offered free business training by the entrepreneur and PR guru Lynne Franks...and more.

It’s hoped that businesses in Yeovil will be amongst those in Somerset to benefit from the £4 billion being spent building a new car battery-making factory near Bridgwater. The facility alongside the M5 at Puritan will produce batteries for Jaguar Land Rover, creating 4,000 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain across the region. Agratas and Tata, two of India’s largest conglomerates, who are behind the venture, will occupy around half of the 616-acre Puritan site, with hotels, leisure, and office buildings on the other half.

A consultation is underway into a proposal to shut a residential care home in Chard. Somerset Care says Sunnymeade care home is no longer financially viable and they want to close it in April. Somerset Council’s Adult Social Care Team is independently assessing the care needs of the residents, with staff at the home put at risk of redundancy.

Police are investigating a break-in at a property in Sandford Orcas near Sherborne. It happened on Saturday, February 17th at around 4 pm. Police say the suspects were disturbed by a neighbour and that nothing was taken. They’re asking people in Sandford Orcas to check CCTV and door cameras for footage of anyone acting suspiciously. If you can help, you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.

Holyrood Academy in Chard has come to the aid of a local karate club whose premises were destroyed in a fire. Chard Tae Kwon-do Club lost its training base in last weekend’s major blaze in Leach Road. Members have been told they can hold their training sessions at Holyrood Academy until further notice.

Women in Wincanton wanting to start their own business are being offered free training by entrepreneur and PR guru Lynne Franks. Lynne, who lives in Wincanton, has worked with major corporates including McDonald’s, Tesco and HSBC and says the course is aimed at helping women identify their strengths and talents, to set up a business or work collaboratively with others on a new business venture.

More from News

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
Tuesday 28th January

Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more
Monday 27th January

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more
News Friday 24th January

Plans have been submitted to build a David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club in Yeovil. Carers in Somerset say spending cuts to mental health support services will be hugely damaging. People with memories of Somerset women's cricket side are being asked to take part in a project to preserve its history. Two of our local restaurants have been listed in the top 100 restaurants in the UK...and more
Thursday 23rd January

Yeovil Town Council has defended its decision to increase its share of the Council Tax by an average of £80. A man who drove an e-scooter in Yeovil while disqualified from driving has been jailed for six weeks. According to new data, the Yeovil driving test centre is the 12th easiest in the UK to pass a driving test...and more
Wednesday 22nd January

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction railway stations. Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop...and more.