Friday 17th October

Friday, 17 October 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

A new £7 million primary school and nursery is to be built in the grounds of Holyrood Academy in Chard. A public consultation has opened into plans to merge the parishes of Ansford and Castle Cary. The nomination papers that paved the way for Margaret Thatcher to become Britain's first female Prime Minister have been uncovered in a Somerset garage...and more

Holyrood Academy in Chard is to get a new seven-million-pound primary school and nursery built in its grounds as part of a major new housing development. Somerset Council says the new school could be open by 2028.

A public consultation has opened into plans to merge the parishes of Ansford and Castle Cary. Residents are being asked to comment on dissolving the two parishes and creating one parish to cover both areas. The consultation, available on the Somerset Council website, runs until December 8th.

The nomination papers that paved the way for Margaret Thatcher to become Britain's first female Prime Minister have been uncovered in a Somerset garage. The documents were among a collection of historic items discovered in a cardboard box belonging to the late Sir Edward du Cann, a former Taunton MP. It’s estimated that the papers, which are being sold at auction in January, could fetch up to £100,000.

Brympton Golden Oldies, a twice-monthly coffee morning held in Brympton for residents, has been presented with a Somerset Unsung Community Hero Award. The award, given by Somerset Council, is in recognition of the tireless efforts of organisers Bob and Sandra Brooks, Cheryl Collins, and Liz James, to make every coffee morning memorable with quizzes, bingo, and social interaction.

The Yeovil Literary Festival begins today and will run for the next 10 days, featuring presentations from over 60 authors and celebrities, including Michael Palin, Alison Steadman and Mary Berry.

More from News

Thursday 16th October

Two mothers in Chard are calling on carnival organisers to make carnivals more accessible to children with special educational needs. 4,000 people have been put on a waiting list at a new NHS dental practice in Somerset. Channel 4’s ‘Love It or List It’ is looking to feature properties in Somerset in a new series... and more
Wednesday 15th October

The maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is to reopen within the next six months. There’s been a further delay to reopening Yeovil’s Octagon theatre. No CrossCountry trains will run through Somerset this weekend due to planned industrial action by the RMT union...and more.
Tuesday 14th October 2025

Film and TV crews have given Somerset's economy a £4 million boost in the last 12 months. Around 100 people have objected to plans to build 325 new homes in Crewkerne. Somerset Council is asking the public to report anyone they see sleeping rough...and more
Monday 13th October

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is urging people to join a campaign for improved support for children with dyslexia. An opposition Conservative member of Somerset Council says businesses will suffer a ‘terrible blow’ if plans go ahead to sell off five Yeovil town centre car parks. A Yeovil man has been jailed for three years... and more.
Friday 10th October

Union members at Leonardo sites across the UK, including in Yeovil, have voted to go on strike after rejecting a 3.2 percent pay offer. GWR has apologised for not providing a visually impaired Yeovil women with an escort to cross between platforms at Pen Mill station. A walnut grower in Somerset is calling on supermarkets to stop importing the nuts from aboard and to sell the ones he grows instead... and more
Thursday 9th October

Police are appealing for witnesses to a break-in at The Crossing Café on Preston Road in Yeovil. A Yeovil Pharmacist says a 70 percent of people booking an online covid jab are not eligible this year. A former doctor in Chard has won through to the semi-finals of BBC Mastermind...and more
Wednesday 8th October

A child safeguarding review is underway following the murder of a two-week-old baby boy at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset’s been chosen for a pilot scheme in which drones are used to monitor environmental emergencies. Yeovil nightclub, Club Neo in Stars Lane, has got a new owner and is changing its name... and more
Tuesday 7th October

Somerset Council says affordable homes built in the county will be given to people with a ‘local connection’ to the area. Emergency services were called to a single vehicle collision involving a Royal Mail van. A new audio installation has been recorded by local vocal groups for Montacute House this Christmas... and more.