Local News Friday 20th May

Friday, 20 May 2022 06:00

A threat of closure that’s been hanging over Somerset’s minor injuries units has been lifted. More people than ever are working on the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Cyclists travelling across Chard could soon enjoy a much safer ride under plans to complete a coast-to-coast cycle route through the West Country. A new 'super' national nature reserve is being created on the Somerset Levels and Moors and a Somerset cider producer has teamed up with one of the world’s largest whisky brands to create a new alcoholic product.

A threat of closure that’s been hanging over Somerset’s minor injuries units has been lifted. The county’s seven minor injuries units, including one in Chard, were due to shut and be replaced by the new GP community pharmacy service but in a statement, Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, says the setting up of the new GP community pharmacy service will not lead to any MIU being closed down or replaced.

More people than ever are working on the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. More than seven-and-a-half thousand workers are on-site and another one thousand will join them this year. It means plenty of jobs for Somerset but there are also concerns the project is pushing up the cost of renting or buying a home in the local area.

Cyclists travelling across Chard could soon enjoy a much safer ride under plans to complete a coast-to-coast cycle route through the West Country. Sustrans cycle route 33, known as the Stop Line Way, runs for 75 miles from Weston-super-mare to Axminster, via Chard and Ilminster. South Somerset District Council area west committee has committed £12,000 to a new study to identify options for diverting the route off-road, which could be implemented by the new unitary Somerset Council that comes into being in April next year. The Stop Line Way is named after the Stop Taunton Line, built by the military in 1940 as a defence against a land invasion by German troops during the Second World War.

A new 'super' national nature reserve is being created on the Somerset Levels and Moors. It's only the second one of its kind and will see more than six thousand hectares form the 'Somerset Wetlands'. Seven organisations will oversee the reserve.

A Somerset cider producer has teamed up with one of the world’s largest whisky brands to create a new alcoholic product. Somerset Cider Brandy Company at Kingsbury Episcopi has joined forces with Glenfiddich to produce a new apple whisky.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

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.