Friday 30th May

Friday, 30 May 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Yeovil Town Football Club has a new owner. Displays of birds and poultry at this year’s Royal Bath and West Show have been banned due to the spread of avian flu. Organisers of the Wessex Truck Show say they’ve cancelled holding it again in Yeovil. A storm thwarts a man from Martock's record-breaking attempt...and more.

Yeovil Town Football Club has a new owner. He’s Prabhu Srinivasan, who’s acquired the majority shareholding previously held by Martin Hellier. Mr Srinivasan has a background in banking, retail, technology, travel, and e-waste. He’s also credited with building one of the largest multi-sports youth platforms in India. The new owner and chairman has described his purchase of Yeovil Town FC as an exciting new journey in which he will focus on making a positive impact on the players, fans and local community.

First Bus has described a public meeting held in Yeovil to discuss passenger concerns as productive despite being strongly criticised over the reliability of local services. Passengers said they were fed up with late cancellations and route cuts, which First Bus attributed to driver shortages.

Displays of birds and poultry at this year’s Royal Bath and West Show have been banned due to the spread of avian flu. Tens of thousands of birds have died as a result of the latest outbreak, with DEFRA saying the impact on farmers has been devastating.

Organisers of the Wessex Truck Show say they’ve cancelled holding it again in Yeovil due to poor ticket sales, a lack of trade entries, and a major sponsor pulling out of the event.

A man from Martock, bidding to set a new world record for jumping off Mount Everest in a Wing Suit, has had to abandon the attempt. Tim Howell reached the summit of Everest, but a storm then set in, forcing him to abort the 300-meter descent.

This year’s Chard Town Crier Competition will be held on Saturday, June 28th. Featuring participants from as far afield as Australia, it will take place on Holyrood Street, outside Bath House, and begin with a parade of town criers at 10.15 am.

More from News

Thursday 29th May

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has secured an adjournment debate in Parliament to discuss the sudden closure of Yeovil's maternity unit. The Royal Bath and West Show 2025 opens today. The go-ahead has been given to demolish the Crispin Shopping Centre in Street and build a retirement complex in its place...and more
Wednesday 28th May

Somerset Council is to spend £3m on employment consultants as it seeks to bring its four thousand staff onto the same terms and conditions. Film and TV production companies spent an estimated £4m making films in Somerset last year. The Wurzels have released a new single written by artificial intelligence in the hope it will take them to the top of the charts...and more
Tuesday 27th May

The Government is to look at the circumstances behind the decision to close the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital. The Royal Bath and West Show opens this week with concerns being raised about the spread of Blue Tongue disease in farm animals. An 86-year-old Somerset man is preparing for his fourth skydive to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society...and more.
Friday 23rd May

Ten extra maternity beds have been made available at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital following the closure of Yeovil's maternity unit. Some Glastonbury festival goers say they've been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a glamping business was liquidated. Chard Fire Station is asking businesses to offer their buildings for fire training. The Cotley Inn, in Wambrook, has been placed on a top 10 list of the best pubs in Britain...and more.
Thursday 22nd May

Residents of Chard are being asked to be more proactive and call the local police when they spot acts of crime and anti-social behaviour. Somerset Council says its gritting teams went out 1700 times last winter, covering more than 117,000 miles and spreading 6,000 tonnes of salt to keep local roads open. Leonardo Helicopters says it will be conducting test flights over Yeovil tonight up until 10.30 pm...and more
Wednesday 21st May

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says closing the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital is a disaster for the town. A Somerset transport company that supplies supermarkets says it’s being held to ransom by cyber hackers. NHS Somerset says 70% of people in the highest risk groups have yet to get their Covid-19 spring booster jab...and more
Tuesday 19th May

A Yeovil man says his life has improved since having a new weight loss treatment. A pub near Chard is blaming increased running costs imposed by the government for the business closing. A Somerset woman has been left with facial injuries after coming off her horse when it was spooked by a driver overtaking at speed...and more
Monday 19th May

Four thousand people have signed a petition calling for Yeovil’s maternity unit to be re-opened as soon as possible. UNISON is calling on Somerset Council to clarify how it will operate services now that hundreds of staff have been made redundant. The Bishop of Bath and Wells says he’s concerned about amendments to the assisted dying bill...and more.