Local News Friday 14th October

    The opening hours of the minor injuries unit at Chard Hospital are being reduced. Military veterans in Somerset, struggling with paying their energy bills, are being offered up to 200 pounds a month for a year by the Royal British Legion. Three quarters of a million pounds has been spent on equipment to help people in Somerset who've had a fall at home or in a care home...and more.

    The opening hours of the minor injuries unit at Chard Hospital are being reduced. NHS Somerset says it'sdue to staff shortages. The unit will now open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday but stay closed on Wednesday and Friday. Meanwhile, NHS Somerset says they’re preparing for an extremely busy winter. It comes as new data has shown that NHS waiting lists in England are growing because of a lack of staff and beds.

    Military veterans in Somerset, struggling with paying their energy bills, are being offered up to 200 pounds a month for a year by the Royal British Legion. The money’s been given in addition to the financial support provided by the government. 

    Three quarters of a million pounds has been spent on equipment to help people in Somerset who've had a fall at home or in a care home. The equipment is now used to lift people up safely following a fall andwithout a carer having to call an ambulance, unless the person is in need of hospital treatment.

    A new TV documentary has thrown new light on the origins of the T.S. Elliot poem The Waste Land, described as one of the defining poems of the 20th century. T.S. Elliot, who lived in South Somerset and is buried in East Coker, always claimed the poem had nothing to do with his private life but programme casts doubt on the theory. The programme can be viewed on the BBC I-player.

    Castle Cary is gearing up for big crowds arriving inthe town this weekend. Castle Cary Carnival takes place tomorrow evening with more than 40 entries in the parade and hundreds expected in the High Street. 

    More from News

    • Friday 13th March

      The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more

    • Thursday 12th March

      A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more

    • Wednesday 11th March

      Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more

    • Tuesday 10th March

      Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more

    • Monday 9th March 

      Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more

    • Friday 6th March

      Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more

    • Thursday 5th March

      Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more

    • Wednesday 4th March

      A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 5°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 11°C | Low: 4°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain shower

      High: 11°C | Low: 5°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 12°C | Low: 4°C

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