Wednesday 3rd April

Wednesday, 3 April 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The Health Secretary has been asked to review the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Parents in Somerset say paying for childcare is still difficult, despite the government increasing funding. A Somerset housebuilder has launched a search to find its longest-standing home owner... and more.

The Health Secretary, Veronica Atkins, has been asked to review the decision to close the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. The Management Board at NHS Somerset met last week to finally approve the business case to downgrade the Yeovil unit, despite 7,000 local people signing a petition calling for it to be kept open. In a letter, Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Adam Dance, has asked the Secretary of State to ensure the Yeovil unit stays open saying that it is unacceptable for people in the town and surrounding areas to be left with reduced access to emergency acute stroke treatment.

Parents in Somerset say paying for childcare is still difficult for them, despite the government increasing funding for childcare. The Government has expanded the number of funded hours to working parents, with two-year-olds now eligible for 15 hours of free care each week but with childcare still costing around £230 a week, parents continue to struggle to pay this.

Chard Library is open as normal, despite the building looking like it’s closed due to a number of boarded-up windows. A spokesperson for the library, which is a listed building, says the windows are in a poor state and have been boarded up as a safety precaution pending their repair.

Men in Somerset are being encouraged to attend football sessions to improve their mental health. Wellbeing Wanderers is a new community football group offering a weekly kick-around.

A Somerset housebuilder has launched a search to find its longest-standing homeowner. Redrow, which has built 120,000 homes in the South West since its launch in 1988, wants to hear the stories of long-term residents to mark its 50th anniversary. As a reward for telling their story, the Redrow homeowner will receive a cash prize of £500.

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Wednesday 20th August

The NHS says twenty-six thousand people in the South West signed up to stop smoking in the past twelve months. A teenager from Yeovil has raised more than four thousand pounds for a new dialysis machine at Bristol Children's Hospital. Yeovil Town take on Brackley Town in a National League fixture this evening, kick off at Huish Park is 7.45...and more
Tuesday 19th August

Families struggling to pay for their children to have breakfast over the summer holidays are being offered free breakfast bags at a church in Chard. Police are appealing for information after a sentimental gold pocket watch was stolen in North Petherton. A Bridgwater man sets off today on a 200-mile cycle ride to Barnstaple and Exeter, raising money for Kidney Research UK...and more.
Monday 18th August

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack in Yeovil. Women in Street and Glastonbury are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to highlight unsafe areas to walk alone. A Nottinghamshire man, on a pub-crawl around Britain to help boost the pub trade, is currently visiting pubs in Somerset...and more.
Friday 15th August

Services and acts of remembrance are taking place across Yeovil & South Somerset for VJ Day. An Ilminster café has unveiled a new defibrillator in the town. A room, named in honour of a member of Somerset Council’s Public Health team, has been opened at Yeovil Library...and more.
Thursday 14th August

Yeovil residents are being asked whether they would pay for part of the Octagon Theatre refurbishment. Spending on buses in Somerset is the lowest per head in the region, according to the county's bus partnership. A Yeovil fraudster has been jailed for almost three years...and more.
Wednesday 13th August

A coroner has raised concerns after the death of a newborn baby at Yeovil District Hospital. Revised plans for the construction of up to 360 homes in Ilminster will be put forward in the autumn. Somerset’s Local Community Networks are marking the start of their third year in the county...and more.
Tuesday 12th August

A new 'family style' children's home for vulnerable children has opened in Somerset. Railway services between Yeovil and Exeter will run less frequently and at a slower speed from this week. A Crewkerne man has been given a one-year driving ban for drug driving. Chard Town Council says the public toilets near Sainsbury’s have been deep cleaned in preparation for re-opening them...and more.
Monday 11th August

Bus drivers with First Bus in Somerset are being balloted about possible strike action. Six thousand pounds has been raised towards repairing a boat, used for sightseeing trips on the River Parrett in Langport, after vandals damaged it. A hedgehog rescue charity in Somerset is facing closure due to a lack of funds...and more