Local News Friday 26th February

Friday, 26 February 2021 07:30

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has criticised the government for asking children to wear facemasks in school. Yeovil Town’s season in the National League could end early unless agreement is reached over a loan with Sport England. A Yeovil GP surgery that had been at risk of closure has been put under new management and more ....

Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh has criticised the government for asking children to wear facemasks in school. Commenting on Twitter, Mr Fysh described the guidance as ‘appalling’ and said it shouldn’t be supported.

Meanwhile, the Head of Preston School in Yeovil, Greg Morrison, has welcomed the decision that teachers will decide grades for this year's GCSEs, A-levels and written vocational qualifications in England after the exams were cancelled because of the pandemic. The government has confirmed that unlike last year, no algorithms will be used to calculate pupils' grades and that exam boards will check random samples, and students will receive their results earlier than usual, to allow extra time for any appeals. Mr Morrison said given the circumstances of the pandemic, the government was doing the right thing.

Yeovil Town’s season in the National League could end early unless agreement is reached over a loan with Sport England. In a statement, Chairman, Scott Priestnall says Yeovil Town are heading for a 1-mllion pound loss this season due to supporters not being allowed into stadiums. The Chairman says an emergency government loan has been offered and that the Club are giving it consideration, but if the loan is found to be unaffordable, then players and staff will be furloughed and the club will not complete the season.

A Yeovil GP surgery that had been at risk of closure has been put under new management. Following a damning inspection, the Care Quality Commission described Ryalls Park Medical Centre on Marsh Lane as ‘inadequate’ and ‘requiring urgent improvement’. Ryalls Park will now be run by Symphony Healthcare Services, who operate 14 GP practices in Somerset, including Oaklands Surgery here in Yeovil.

A Somerset bride-to-be says she’s unhappy over the government’s plans to re-admit guests at weddings. Weddings can take place with 15 guests from mid-April and 30 from mid-May. But, Justine Clayton, who postponed her wedding last year and now plans to get married at the end of May says the limit on guests should be lifted sooner.

A crowd funding appeal to re-open a village pub in South Somerset has received donations of just under £90,000. The Green Dragon in Combe St Nicholas closed its doors permanently last September. Organisers are seeking to raise £400,000 to buy the building and run the pub as a social enterprise.

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Monday 16th June

The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Friday 13th June

Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Thursday 12th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
Wednesday 11th June

People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
Tuesday 10th June

A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Monday 9th June

Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Friday 6th June

Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Thursday 5th June

Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.