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 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more