Friday 13th October

Friday, 13 October 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

The NHS in Somerset is encouraging more people to use the NHS App to book vaccinations and seek medical advice. Local councillor, Oliver Patrick, has lodged a formal objection to permanently closing Chinnock Hollow. A man from Yeovil has been recruited as a Beefeater at the Tower of London to help guard the Crown Jewels. Yeovil Town take on National League side Southend United in the FA Cup...and more.

The NHS in Somerset is encouraging more people to use the NHS App to book vaccinations and seek medical advice. A roadshow is currently touring Somerset aimed at persuading more people to download the app to help alleviate pressure on GP surgeries ahead of an expected busy winter,

Local councillor, Oliver Patrick, has lodged a formal objection to permanently closing Chinnock Hollow which provides a road link between East Chinnock and Odcombe. It was closed following a landslide in February 2021 with Somerset Council saying that it couldn't justify spending £2.7 million to reopen the road. Councillor Patrick claims the road could be safely reopened with reduced road width, temporary traffic lights, and concrete barriers to protect road users.

A man from Yeovil has been recruited as a Beefeater at the Tower of London to help guard the Crown Jewels. Ryan "Barney" Barnett served in the Fleet Air Arm for 25 years and says he got the job after seeing it advertised on LinkedIn.

Ilminster Young Farmers Club has presented cheques to the value of £4,000 to two local charities. £2,000 each has been given to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and Motor Neurone Disease Association that was raised through a tractor run and Christmas tree collection held last December.

Yeovil Town plays one of their biggest games of the season tomorrow when they take on National League side Southend United in an FA Cup Fourth qualifying round. A win would get them through to the FA Cup First Round proper and the chance of being drawn against League opposition. Manager, Mark Cooper, says with Southend in a league above Yeovil, the Glovers start the game as underdogs.

The winners have been announced of the Ilminster Carnival Decorated Window competition. The Hambridge Artist took first prize. The second prize went to Harper Dolman & West Insurance. Basil James Financial Services came third. Wincanton Carnival is on tonight at 7 p.m. Chard and Castle Cary hold their Carnivals tomorrow.

More from News

Friday 17th May

A new website has been launched to support people in Somerset with mental health issues. One of Yeovil’s oldest pubs has been sold. Artwork on the theme of aviation produced by students at Yeovil College has gone on display at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil.A pupil at Tatworth Primary School near Chard has won a prize in a national competition for writing a book review...and more
Thursday 16th May

Work laying a gas main on the A37 Dorchester Road near the Quicksilver Mail roundabout in Yeovil is to continue for a further two months. Somerset Council says the public toilets in Yeovil bus station will close at the end of the month but the waiting room will stay open temporarily. Former Yeovil Town Captain, Josh Staunton, has set up in business as a professional gardener...and more.
Wednesday 15th May

Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more
Tuesday 14th May

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Monday 13th May

Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
Friday 10th May

The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Thursday 9th May

Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
Wednesday 8th May

A woman driver has been told she faces a prison term for causing the deaths of two people in a crash on the A303. The AA says there are more potholes than ever on Somerset’s motorway network, leading to an increase in damage to vehicles. The new cancer treatment unit at Yeovil Hospital should be open before the end of the year...and more.