Friday 6th September

Friday, 6 February 2026 05:00

By Steve Haigh

Leonardo has announced a major deal to build helicopters in India. Campaigners trying to set up a new bus link to Castle Cary railway station from Glastonbury say they need 150 thousand pounds of council money. A community event is being held in Chard for charities and service providers to showcase their activities.... and more

Leonardo, who've threatened to close their Yeovil factory if they don't get a government contract to build medium lift helicopter, has announced a major deal to build helicopters in India. They've joined with the firm Adani to build one thousand helicopters for the Indian government. Leonardo warned last year that it could not continue to subsidise the Yeovil factory and said it would shut the site at the end of March if the order for medium lift helicopters was not forthcoming. The government’s defence investment plan, which will confirm if the new medium lift helicopter is wanted by the MOD, is due to be published in the Spring.

Campaigners trying to set up a new bus link to Castle Cary railway station from Glastonbury say they need 150 thousand pounds of council money. Somerset is getting over four million pounds a year in government funding until 2030 towards improving bus services, but Somerset Bus Partnership claims 80 percent of the cash will go towards existing routes.

Brean Theme Park in Brean in Somerset has gone into liquidation. Owners of the theme park, Unity Holidays, say Brean Splash and a local gym which they also own, will continue to operate as normal.

The social media star from Somerset, Francis Bourgeois, known for his light-hearted videos about his love for trains, has been announced as one of the new presenters of the TV motoring show, The Grand Tour. Alongside James Engelsman and Thomas Holland from the YouTube channel, Throttle House, the trio will replace Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

A community event is being held in Chard for charities and service providers to showcase their activities. Chard Town Council says it’s an opportunity for organisations to discover what each other do in the local area, and takes place at the Guildhall on Saturday, February 21st.

More from News

Thursday 16th April

Wessex Water has been told to pay £300,000 after a sewer spilled into the River Yeo killing dozens of fish. The Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton has been given a grant of half a million pounds. Today marks the official opening of the new visitor centre at Ham Hill... and more
Wednesday 15th April

Yeovil College has been upgraded to a Defence Technical Excellence College. Somerset Council is taking legal action against a housing developer that owes £35,000 in contributions towards local services in Broadway. An Ilminster couple have covered the first 400 miles of their epic walk around the coastline of mainland Britain... and more
Tuesday 14th April

Avon and Somerset Police has launched a new five-year plan to tackle anti-social behaviour. Additional GP appointments will soon be available at three local surgeries, following a £1 million investment to upgrade NHS facilities in Somerset. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon couple whose daughter died of cancer have raised £128,000 in her memory... and more
Monday 13th April

Yeovil MP Adam Dance is calling for better support for survivors of domestic abuse living in rural communities. The RSPB in Somerset is urging people to stop feeding birds to prevent the spread of disease. Yeovil Town Football Club says an issue that had threatened it with removal from the register at Companies House has been resolved... and more
Friday 10th April

Maternity services at Yeovil Hospital will reopen on Tuesday April 21st. A Somerset woman, who relies on a wheelchair for mobility, has criticised changes to the Motor Motability scheme. Somerset Freemasons have presented a cheque for forty-three thousand pounds to Young Somerset, a charity that supports young people in the county... and more
Thursday 9th April

Yeovil Town Football Club has received a warning that it could be struck off the register at Companies House. Somerset Council has been given £22 million to provide assistance to people facing cost of living pressures. Members of 1st Ilminster Scout Group have spent a night sleeping outdoors to experience the challenges faced by homeless military veterans... and more
Wednesday 8th April

A Yeovil school teacher has been banned from teaching for sharing inappropriate details about her private life with pupils. A Stoke-sub-Hamdon woman has been given a 17-month driving ban. A Yeovil woman who survived bone cancer is raising is running the London Marathon... and more
Tuesday 7th April

Somerset Council has set aside three hundred and seventy thousand pounds to keep open five leisure centres in the Mendip area. Watercombe Lane in Yeovil is set to close for thirty-one days for gas mains replacement works. It’s been announced that Martock will stage a Pride event in June...and more