Friday 26th July

Friday, 26 July 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing funding from the Parish Council...and more.

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Helen competes in her fourth Olympics and says leading Team GB at the opening event will be a proud moment.

Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Patients under treatment at St Andrews in Wells will now be transferred to the new unit on Preston Road. Despite strong objections, NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group voted to close the mental health ward at St Andrews in Wells and relocate all patients to Yeovil.

Wildlife charities in Somerset are struggling to keep up with high demand due to an increase in domestic animal cruelty cases. According to the RSPCA, animal cruelty is rising more quickly in Somerset than in other parts of the country.

Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing its funding from the Parish Council. Martock Parish Council had been giving the library £5,000 a year to help operate its normal opening hours but has now removed the funding. The library will open on Tuesday and Saturday from 9:30 am until 1 pm and Wednesday from 1:30 pm to 5 pm. On Monday and Friday, it will be open between 9:30 am and 5 pm but will stay closed on Thursday and Sunday.

Two local men, who’ve raised over £750,000 for military charities, have been presented with a top award. Benn Laidler and Steve Shaw of Torque Events were given the Sir James Gildea Global Award at the annual meeting of the armed forces charity, SSAFA. Their latest fund-raising event, Driving Force for SSAFA, starts on July 30th, with fifty vehicles taking part in a 10-day driving challenge to Gibraltar.

A school lollipop lady in Milborne Port has retired after 30 years doing the job. Cora Pinkawa, who’s 85, received a thank-you gift on the last day of term at Milborne Port Primary School to make her retirement.

A picture framing business in Martock has been named the Best Family-Owned Art Gallery in the South of England. Martock Gallery on Water Street was named in the SME News UK Enterprise Awards.

More from News

Monday 15th June

People in Somerset are being asked to take part in a new survey about alcohol use. Yeovil's MP Adam Dance will lead a debate in Parliament today on NHS dentistry. A Yeovil runner has been selected to represent England at a national endurance championship... and more
Friday 12th June

It's claimed the increasing availability of drugs such as ketamine and cocaine has normalised drug use among young people in Somerset. The trial of a man accused of killing his one-month-old son in Chard begins today at Bristol Crown Court. A stone pillar outside the Langport Arms Hotel in Langport has been replaced after it was destroyed in a car crash... and more
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