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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Thursday 11th June

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the three aircrew from RNAS Yeovilton who died in last week's helicopter crash in Devon. Two men have been arrested and stolen vehicles seized following a major multi-agency operation in South Somerset. An event highlighting opportunities for women in the aerospace industry has been held in Yeovil... and more
Wednesday 10th June

The public will be consulted on how best to spend fifty million pounds of government funding to tackle flooding in Somerset. Avon and Somerset Police are backing a new road safety campaign aimed at reducing motorcycle fatalities. New welcome signs have been installed at entrances to the Mendip Hills National Landscape... and more
Tuesday 9th June

The government has announced a £50 million investment to strengthen Somerset’s flood defences. A woman from Stoke-sub-Hamdon has been banned from driving for 14 months after admitting drink-driving. Somerset Council has been told it must improve its adult social care services... and more
Monday 8th June

Plans for a new railway station in Langport remain stalled in Whitehall, according to Somerset Council. Plans to build 50 new homes in Broadway, near Ilminster, have been refused. The new water fountains in Yeovil’s Triangle, in Lower Middle Street, are being switched off during very hot weather because of safety concerns... and more.
Friday 5th June

A new NHS dental practice in Crewkerne says it won’t start operating at full capacity until July due to staff shortages. Somerset Council says it has no plans to show England matches in the World Cup on the Big Screen in Yeovil town centre due to safety concerns. A Somerset family has been thanked after completing a 73-mile walk raising money for a third world charity... and more
Thursday 4th June

An investigation continues today into the crash of a Royal Navy helicopter, based at RNAS Yeovilton, in which all three aircrew were killed. Somerset Council has confirmed that a new operator will take over several leisure centres across the county. The new live-action Masters of the Universe movie, filmed in Somerset, is released this week...and more
Wednesday 3rd June

A Yeovil man has appeared in court charged with assaulting three police officers. Somerset Council has begun legal action to recover more than £320,000 owed by housing developers. The line-up has been announced for this year’s Ilminster Midsummer Experience...and more