Friday 6th October

    A new scheme, aimed at making women feel safer when out and about, is being piloted in Somerset. Somerset-based Olympic swimmer, Brodie Williams, says more needs to be done to stop the closure of public swimming pools. Michael Ball and Deborah Meaden are two of the big names appearing at this year’s Yeovil Literary Festival...and more.

    A new scheme, aimed at making women feel safer when out and about is being piloted in Somerset. It’s part of efforts by Avon and Somerset Police to tackle violence against women and girls. Called ‘Walk and Talk’, women can arrange to meet with a female officer to show them areas where they feel most at risk. 

    The Department of Culture, Media and Sport says it is keen to hear what Somerset Council intends to do next with up-grading Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre after plans to spend £29 million on the project were paused due to rising costs. A new business plan is now being prepared with the aim of finding new ways to fund the upgrade to make it more affordable.

    Somerset-based Olympic swimmer and Commonwealth Gold Medalist Brodie Williams says more should be done to protect access for children to learn how to swim. Swim England and Ofsted have both warned that public swimming is under threat due to pool closures and high energy costs. 

    Michael Ball, Deborah Meaden, and poet Roger McGough are some of the big names appearing at this year’s Yeovil Literary Festival. It runs from Thursday, October 26th until Monday, October 30th with forty-three leading authors taking part. 

    A coffee morning held in Chard has raised £2,000 for the cancer charity Macmillan. It was organised by the family of Guy Warren who hold the event every year in his memory.

    More from News

    • 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

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