Local News Friday 16th September

Friday, 16 September 2022 06:00

A Chard man has appeared in court for possessing a bladed object. Police have found a body in their search for a missing Yeovil woman. Most foodbanks in Somerset will be closed on Monday for the Queen's funeral. Funding’s being made available in Somerset to provide people with learning disabilities with more opportunities to take part in social activities. The go-ahead has been given to build a new energy storage facility next to a Somerset beauty spot...and more.

A Chard man has appeared in court for possessing a bladed object. Taunton Crown Court was told that Sonny Fox, aged 19, waved a machete during a row in the car park at the Sainsbury’s store in Chard. Fox pleaded guilty to the offence and was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence with probation.

Police have found a body in their search for a missing Yeovil woman. The body was discovered at Bowleaze Cove in Dorset early yesterday. Police say no formal identification has yet been made, but next of kin have been informed and are currently being supported.

Most foodbanks in Somerset will be closed on Monday for the Queen's funeral. They say they always close on bank holidays and that agencies and supermarkets who they rely on for supplies will also be closed. Also, due to the period of official mourning for Queen Elizabeth, Super Saturday that was meant to take place in Yeovil town centre tomorrow won’t now take place. Yeovil Town Council says a new date to hold Super Saturday will be announced shortly.

Funding’s being made available in Somerset to provide people with learning disabilities with more opportunities to take part in social activities. According to the organisation 'Discovery’, only 30 per cent of people with learning disabilities in Somerset feel they are able to choose where and when they go out. The organisation’s now making grants available to fund projects to help make community spaces and services more accessible for people with autism and other learning disabilities.

The go-ahead has been given to build a new energy storage facility next to a Somerset beauty spot. Despite concerns that it would damage the character of the nearby landscape, councillors approved plans for the battery storage facility at King’s Farm at Shearston, near Bridgwater. Applicants, Conrad Energy Developments intend to store excess power at the site, to sell back to the National Grid at peak times.

A major photographic exhibition has opened at Barrington Court near Ilminster. The International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition is on at the National Trust property until October 17th. Categories include Abstract Views, Breathing Spaces, Trees, Wildlife in the Garden and the World of Fungi.

The search is on to find a new Town Crier for Yeovil. Applicants must be aged 18 and over, and have the desire and loud enough voice to fit the job.

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There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.