Yeovil business owner, David Harris-Heffer, who runs the Vodaphone franchise in the town, says the government’s furlough scheme that ended yesterday helped save his company from bankruptcy. Around 400 people in Martock who bought tickets in the September People’s Lottery will find out today how much they have won. Opposition is growing over plans by Leonardo Helicopters to replace part of the grass runway at their Yeovil factory with a new hard surface runway. A tractor, stolen from a farm near Sherborne, has been found crashed in East Coker.
Yeovil business owner, David Harris-Heffer, who runs the Vodaphone franchise in the town, says the government’s furlough scheme that ended yesterday helped save his company from bankruptcy. Eleven and a half million people across the UK had their wages subsidised by up to 80% through the pandemic, including over 60,000 on furlough in Somerset.
Around 400 people in Martock who bought tickets in the September People’s Lottery will find out today how much they have won. It was announced earlier in the week that ticket holders in the postcode TA12 6 had won a share of £7.3 million. The full winning postcode and exact amount won by each ticket holder will be revealed at a cheque presentation event at Kingsbury Episcopi Community Centre this morning (01/10).
Opposition is growing over plans by Leonardo Helicopters to replace part of the grass runway at their Yeovil factory with a new hard surface runway. Leonardo says the grass runway is no longer fit for purpose, but people living nearby want the scheme scrapped. They’ve written to South Somerset District Council claiming that turning the runway into a hard surface would encourage more flights and create more noise at the airfield. It’s expected the District Council will make a decision on the plans before the end of the year.
A tractor, stolen from a farm near Sherborne, has been found crashed in East Coker. The blue Ford 5610 tractor with the registration C381 HMR was taken from Oborne on Monday. Police found it in Green Lane, East Coker. They’re asking for anyone with dashcam footage of the tractor to call the police non-emergency number 101.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.