Thursday 9th January

Thursday, 9 January 2025 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Police say three children, missing from their home in Essex, have been found safe and well in Wincanton. Yeovil Hospital is asking visitors to A&E to wear facemasks to help avoid the spread of infection. Long traffic queues can be expected in Chard over the next nine months. A new arts and music performance space has opened in Crewkerne...and more.

Police say a boy and two girls, missing from their home in Essex, have been found safe and well in Wincanton. It follows a public appeal issued by the Police earlier in the week to help find the three children after reports that they could be in the Somerset area.

Somerset Council has extended its Severe Weather Emergency Provisions due to the icy temperatures the County is experiencing. The scheme aims to help rough sleepers, with welfare checks being made on people who haven't asked for help.

Yeovil Hospital is asking visitors to A&E to wear facemasks to help avoid the spread of infection. It follows a sharp rise in patients being admitted with flu and other respiratory illnesses.

Plans have been submitted to change a former residential care home in Yeovil into flats. Developers, Yeovil Promise Ltd, want to convert the Ferns Nursing Home on St Michaels Avenue into individual living spaces. The change of use will involve demolishing some walls and the roof, re-colouring the windows and doors and extending the vehicular access and parking areas. The trees on the site will not be disturbed. The application is still currently awaiting a decision from the Somerset Council.

Long traffic queues can be expected in Chard over the next nine months due to major roadworks taking place in the town. The first phase of roadworks lasting until September got underway this week with the junction of Furnham Road and Victoria Avenue closed to motorists. Traffic signals at the junction of Furnham Road and Coker Way were taken out of action, and replaced with temporary lights. The changes are to allow for Wales & West Utilities to upgrade a mains gas pipe along Furnham Road and for Wessex Water to carry out improvements to the sewage network near Furzehill and Glynswood.

Registration has opened for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Cycle Challenge, which starts at Watchet and ends 55 miles away in West Bay.

A new arts and music performance space has opened in Crewkerne. The South Somerset Music Centre in the Methodist School Room on South St plans to host concerts and run workshops with the aim of enriching the town’s cultural offerings.

More from News

Friday 7th November

A man from Yeovil has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of three counts of rape. Smoking rates in Somerset remain higher than in many other parts of the UK. Students at three schools in Yeovil have created a new shoe design for Clarks.
Thursday 6th November

The Supreme Court has ruled that building thousands of homes in Somerset has been "unlawfully held up". The Head of Holyrood Academy in Chard has described the building of a new primary school in the town as an ‘incredible opportunity’. A pub near Chard has been named one of the best in Britain by The Good Food Guide...and more
Wednesday 5th November

Members of the Unite union at Leonardo in Yeovil have called off a planned strike for today. South Western Railway says trains on the West of England Line will start running normally again at the end of the month. A memorial post box has been placed at the entrance to Crewkerne cemetery...and more.
Tuesday 4th November

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says from today it will no longer respond to automatic fire alarms. School in a Bag, based in Chilthorne Domer, is sending 400 school bags to Jamaica, following Hurricane Melissa. Yeovil Town has paid tribute to former manager Colin Addison, who has passed away...and more.
Monday 3rd November

Plans have been approved to convert Old Viney Bridge Mill in Crewkerne to residential use. The go-ahead has been given to decommission Hinkley Point B nuclear power plant in Somerset. We’re being asked to provide food for hedgehogs that come into our gardens this winter...and more.
Friday 31st October

There's anger in Chard about a road diversion in place alongside two sets of roadworks through the town. A motorcyclist has been injured in an accident in Bruton. £100,000 has been donated towards re-opening Shepton Mallet’s Amulet theatre...and more
Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been detected at a nature reserve in Somerset, resulting in the closure of part of it. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain...and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.