Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. A school in Chard has been named the best-run primary school in Somerset. Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303...and more
Two men from Yeovil have been found guilty of murdering a man in the town. Martin Carty and Mark Sothcott killed Frank Ingram at his flat in Raglan Terrace in June. Following a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury unanimously found both men guilty of murder. Carty of Raglan Terrace and Sothcott of Stiby Road in Yeovil, both aged 56, were remanded in custody for sentencing. (Story and photo courtesy of Chard and Ilminster News).
A school in Chard has been named as the best-run primary school in Somerset. Combe St. Nicholas Church of England Primary School was singled out for having 100 per cent of pupils meet the expected standard at the end of Key Stage Two. In second place was Kingfisher Primary School in Yeovil, with Preston Church of England Primary School in Yeovil, coming third. The schools were ranked on the basis of data provided by the Department for Education.
Somerton MP Sarah Dyke is calling on the government to provide more funding for community pharmacies. She says pharmacies are closing at double the national average rate in her constituency. She wants the government to publish an independent analysis on reforming the sector early in the New Year.
A former RAF airman from Somerset, dismissed because of his sexuality, says an official apology has gone some way towards repairing the hurt he suffered. Mark Shephard was asked to leave the RAF in 1999 aged 21 due to a ban on LGBT people in the armed forces. The ban was lifted in the year 2000.
Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303. It happened on Saturday, December 21st at around 7 pm when a pedestrian collided with a grey Range Rover on the eastbound stretch between Cartgate and Podimore. The man was taken to hospital with life-changing injuries. If you saw the incident or have dashcam footage you’re asked to please call the non-emergency number 101.
Somerset Council is planning to open twelve new Special Educational Needs units in mainstream schools. Yeovil Hospital is participating in a trial that could revolutionise the treatment of sepsis within the NHS. A 55-acre site in Chard, with plans approved to build 295 homes and a new football ground, has been put up for sale...and more
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.