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 24th December

A formal planning application has been made to carry out significant improvements to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, costing £15 million. The Halifax Bank in King George Street in Yeovil could be converted into 17 flats. A new young people’s centre opens in Chard early in the New Year...and more.
Tuesday 23rd December

NHS Somerset reports a strong uptake of flu jabs, but some eligible people for free vaccinations haven’t come forward. Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident on the A303 in which a pedestrian was killed. A Crewkerne woman has gone viral on TikTok after being trapped inside a Lidl store in the town... and more.
Monday 22nd December

Somerset Bus Partnership has welcomed a £24.7m boost for the county's bus services. Outline planning permission has been granted to build up to 100 new homes in Ilminster. An Ilminster man has been banned from keeping animals for seven years. Residents in Chiselborough have set up a group to try and re-open the village pub...and more.
Friday 19th December

Crewkerne Community Hospital is to lose half its inpatient beds. A review will be conducted of a project to make Bridgwater more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Chard Methodist Church is offering residents a free lunch on Christmas Day. Yeovil-based Screwfix is opening a new outlet in Minehead...and more.
Thursday 18th December

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has warned that delays in ordering 30 new medium lift helicopters for the RAF is putting the future of Somerset’s defence industries at risk. Somerset's farmers are being urged to convert more cow manure into biogas to heat homes. A new visitor centre has opened at Ham Hill country park...and more
Wednesday 17th December

Parcel business, Evri, has been criticised by Glastonbury and Somerton MP Sarah Dyke over what she claims have been ‘widespread delivery failures’. Demand for mental health support provided by South Western Ambulance Service is running at record levels. A nine-year-old Somerset boy has completed 100 days of litter picking for charity...and more
Tuesday 14th December

New data shows that crime in the Avon and Somerset police area is at an all-time high. Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has issued a warning to prospective pet owners ahead of Christmas. The owner of four pubs in Somerset has warned that many could be forced to shut unless the government reconsiders business rates...and more.
Monday 15th December

Toolstream in Yeovil has been put into administration, threatening the jobs of dozens of employees. NHS Somerset has issued a last chance call for people to get a flu jab after hospital admissions increased by 76% in a week. Police are investigating the theft of a bike valued at £7,000 in Sherborne... and more