Local News Friday 17th February

Friday, 17 February 2023 06:00

A dental practice in Chard is to close. Council taxpayers in Somerset will be paying more to run the fire service from April. A Yeovil business says low labour costs are one reason why it’s stayed loyal to Yeovil for more than 50 years. Yeovil Hospital is piloting a scheme to help speed up the discharge of patients. Young people with special educational needs are helping to run a new café in Ilminster...and more.

A dental practice in Chard is to close at the end of March. Mydentist in Fore Street says it’s due to a lack of staff. The closure comes soon after the Springmead GP Surgery in Chard announced that it would be closing on the 24th of February. Mydentist patients are being offered appointments at Ariel Healthcare in Chard. Patients with appointments up to 31st March should attend as usual.

A Yeovil business says low labour costs are one reason why it’s stayed loyal to Yeovil for more than 50 years. Talon on the Lynx Trading Estate make parts for motorbikes and competes for orders against producers in China. Owner, Rod McDonaugh, says with labour costs relatively low in Yeovil, he’s able to remain competitive with his prices on world markets.

Council taxpayers in Somerset will be paying more to run the fire service from April. A 5-percent increase in the fire service percept has been approved by councillors. Devon and Somerset Fire Service says without the increase it would have been short by three million pounds over the next 12-months.

Yeovil Hospital is piloting a scheme to help speed up the discharge of patients. A ‘Ready to Go’ unit has been set up to check patients’ physical and mental fitness for being allowed to return home. Similar units are now being introduced in local community hospitals with the aim of freeing up much-needed hospital beds.

Young people with special educational needs are helping to run a new café in Ilminster. The Gamesmaster Café serves food and drinks and offers customers the chance to play board games.

More from News

Friday 31st October

There's anger in Chard about a road diversion in place alongside two sets of roadworks through the town. A motorcyclist has been injured in an accident in Bruton. £100,000 has been donated towards re-opening Shepton Mallet’s Amulet theatre... and more
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 .