The Labour Ward and Special Care Baby Unit at Yeovil Hospital is closing for six months following safety concerns. Chard Youth Centre says it will be heartbreaking if it has to close. The road between Ilminster and Chard at Dowlish Ford is shut to traffic again today. People in Somerset are being advised to wear sunglasses to protect their eyesight during the current sunny weather...and more
The Labour Ward and Special Care Baby Unit at Yeovil Hospital is closing for six months following safety concerns. It follows an inspection by the Care Quality Commission that found paediatric services in Yeovil required “significant improvement”. The town’s MP, Adam Dance, has criticised Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for failing to commit that maternity services at Yeovil Hospital will return to normal after the 6-month shutdown.
Chard Youth Centre says it will be heartbreaking if it has to close. The centre, which has been in existence for 70 years, plans to shut in July. The Chard Area Youth Committee says it can no longer afford to fund the youth centre.
The road between Ilminster and Chard at Dowlish Ford is shut to traffic again today. This is to allow Wessex Water to carry out essential repairs. First Bus says that because of the closure, services to Listers Hill, Kingstone Turn, Dowlish Ford, and Sea Mills are not running.
A pub in South Petherton has just missed out on winning the title: Somerset Real Ale Pub of the Year. The Brewers Arms in South Petherton was named runner-up in the Somerset CAMRA Pub of the Year 2025 competition.
A patient at St Margaret’s Hospice has had her final wish granted: having a donkey brought to her bedside. St Margaret's says Britney, the donkey, provided Jacqui with comfort after being taken to the hospice by her owner, Richard Norman.
People in Somerset are being warned to protect their eyesight during the current sunny weather. A local eye specialist is advising people to wear sunglasses in bright sunshine, as the sun can cause lasting damage.
Parents in Somerset are being advised not to leave their children unsupervised with pets. Somerset Council says it's dealing with a backlog of sixteen hundred planning applications. Ninety thousand pounds has been raised so far for Somerset Community Foundation’s appeal supporting people affected by last week’s coach crash in West Somerset...and more
A boat used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett at Langport has sunk after being vandalised. A union representing firefighters in Somerset says former retained staff are missing out on pension payments. Thirty-nine new affordable homes are to be built in Merriot...and more
A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son at Yeovil Hospital. From Monday, no trains will be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice. Experts say the dry weather has created ideal conditions for wasps to multiply in significant numbers across Somerset. A rare railway carriage from the 1880s, believed to have been built in Somerset, is being given a new lease of life...and more.
Tourism leaders in Somerset are hoping to reverse last year’s downturn in visitor numbers now that the six-week-long school summer holiday is underway. A Chard woman who was driving a van without insurance that crashed has been given a 16-month driving ban. A Somerset hedgehog rescue centre says a lack of rain and hard ground conditions are making it difficult for hedgehogs to survive this summer...and more.
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