Friday 15th August

Friday, 15 August 2025 06:00

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.

Services and acts of remembrance are taking place across Yeovil & South Somerset for VJ Day, as the county marks the 80^th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in 1945, which effectively brought the Second World War to an end. The commemoration events include a gathering at the War Memorial in Yeovil town centre organised by the Royal British Legion, the laying of a wreath at the Burma Star garden in Ilminster, followed by a tree planting, music and speeches in the town’s recreation grounds, and a service at Crewkerne Methodist Church.

An Ilminster café has unveiled a new defibrillator in the town, following a successful fundraising appeal that raised well over a thousand pounds for its purchase. The Monks Yard venue says the life-saving device is installed and fully operational in the café’s reception area and will be available whenever they are open. The defibrillator is also registered on www.defibfinder.uk, an online resource showing devices across the country.

Shepton Mallet Prison’s popular ‘Living History Days’ are returning this August bank holiday, with visitors of all ages getting the chance to explore four centuries of history since the now decommissioned prison was opened. The event will feature characters in costume, activities including ‘oakum picking’ and the history of the US military’s use of the prison during the Second World War.

A room, named in honour of a member of Somerset Council’s Public Health team, has been opened at Yeovil Library. The Finnis Room is dedicated to Louise Finnis, who is credited with providing the inspiration and funding for the Wellbeing zones in both the Taunton and Yeovil libraries, and establishing the first collection of wellbeing books in libraries across the county. She sadly died just days after she retired.

And a Yeovil woman is being recognised as a positive role model at this year’s National Diversity Awards. Katie Krzyzanowski has been shortlisted due to the “dedication and difference she has made within the disability community”. Using her Instagram and TikTok accounts, Katie celebrates difference, confronts ‘ableism’ and aims to show others they’re not alone. The winners will be announced in September at a ceremony in Liverpool.

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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
Friday 8th August

Somerset Council has paused roadworks on Fore Street in Chard indefinitely due to unforeseen complications. A Somerset farming family says they've lost faith in the government over plans to introduce inheritance tax on farm estates. Memories are being revived of a Live Aid concert in Yeovil from 40 years ago, which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Thursday 7th August

The owners of Yeovil Town Football Club say that they are hopeful of concluding a deal with Somerset Council to buy back Huish Park very soon. Hestercombe House and Gardens near Taunton has gone into administration. The Government is eyeing up the possibility of using brownfield land near railway lines in Somerset for house building...and more
Wednesday 6th August

A fire at the former Mermaid Hotel in Yeovil town centre is being treated as accidental. People with premium bonds in Somerset are being encouraged to check their numbers as over 800-thousand pounds of prizes remain unclaimed. Chard is set to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day later this month...and more.
Tuesday 5th August

A college merger in Somerset has created one of the largest education groups in the UK. People in Somerset are being encouraged to report drivers who misuse disabled parking bays. A D-Day veteran from Somerset is celebrating his 100th birthday this week...and more