Tuesday 13th May

Tuesday, 13 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A Somerset beef farmer says the trade deal between the UK and the US must ensure that animal welfare standards are maintained. A Somerset teenager is trying to raise money to buy a bionic hand. Grants of up to £400 are being offered to schools in Somerset to encourage children to create new green spaces...and more.

A Somerset beef farmer says the trade deal between the UK and the US must ensure that animal welfare standards are maintained. The UK has agreed to allow 13,000 metric tonnes of beef imports from the US before tariffs apply. Around 1,000 tonnes a year are imported with a 20% tariff. James Small says the UK has some of the highest welfare standards in the world, and these standards need to be maintained.

A Somerset teenager is trying to raise money to buy a bionic hand. Paige Cox, who’s 17, was born without a right hand, which meant she was unable to apply for a place at a military training college. An army cadet, Paige hopes that getting a prosthetic hand will allow her to be re-considered for a military career.

The Chard Area Youth Committee, which commissions youth services in the town, is closing due to a shortage of funds. This is likely to lead to the shutdown of the Chard Young People’s Centre in Essex Close, with Active Learning and Skills, which are based at the venue, saying they will cease operating in July. Chard Town Council is being asked to step in with a rescue package, but a decision on providing emergency funding has yet to be made.

A key milestone has been reached in the ‘big build’ project at Yeovil College. £60 million is being spent across the campus to provide new teaching facilities, including a new Construction Innovation Centre that has just been topped out, a new multi-purpose Sports Centre, and a new state-of-the-art Teaching Centre.

Grants of up to £400 are being offered to schools in Somerset to encourage children to create new green spaces. The Somerset Gardens Trust, which promotes education in garden design and helps protect historic landscapes, has allocated £10,000 to fund school garden projects. In previous years, schools have been given money to build raised flower beds and buy gardening tools so that children can learn how to grow and care for flowers and vegetables.

More from News

Friday 29th May

South Western Ambulance Service is struggling to cope after a surge in 999 calls during the hot weather. Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke says a shortage of rental homes is making it harder for rural employers to attract workers. The National Trust is warning that changing weather patterns are making it difficult to maintain the Cerne Abbas Giant... and more
Thursday 28th May

People are being asked to take extra care in parks and open spaces as high temperatures and dry conditions increase the risk of fire. Plans to build hundreds of new homes in Yeovil can now go ahead after a High Court challenge by Mudford Parish Council was dismissed. A Somerset bakery chain has sparked a reaction after it stopped making iced buns... and more
Wednesday 27th May

The UK Health Security Agency has increased its heat health alert for Somerset to amber. Trading Standards officers have shut down three shops in Taunton after illegal cigarettes and vapes were discovered on the premises. Bridgwater Town Council is considering running its own bus services...and more
Tuesday 26th May

A Martock agricultural machinery business has gone into administration, putting around thirty jobs at risk. A new sensory room has opened at a Yeovil schook to support neurodiverse pupils. The headteacher of a Chard primary school is stepping down... and more
Friday 22nd May

The National Farmers Union in Somerset has welcomed the government’s new trade deal with six Gulf countries. Campaigners say Somerset’s canals and locks are in urgent need new investment. The Liverpool comedian John Bishop is heading to Somerset later this year...and more
Thursday 21st May

Police are being asked to cut the time the M5 is closed following accidents. Plans to build a major solar farm near Chard have been thrown out. Aldi is asking shoppers to help find locations for new stores in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 20th May

People in Somerset are being encouraged to get their cholesterol checked to cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes. A Chard man has appeared in court charged with using threatening behaviour. A gardener from Somerset has won a silver award at the Chelsea Flower Show... and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Somerset car boot business says it will no longer accept twenty-pound notes after being handed counterfeit notes.Taunton Flower Show is warning this year’s event could be its last. Numatic, makers of the Henry vacuum cleaner, have invested one-and-a-half million pounds installing new solar panels at their factory in Chard... and more