Local News Friday 27th May

Friday, 27 May 2022 06:00

Emergency stroke services in the county could be offered in one hospital instead of two, in the future. court has heard how a Chard woman, who portrayed herself as being homeless, stole a man’s wallet after he invited her back to his flat for a meal. The former Conservative Leader of Somerset County Council, David Fothergill, has been speaking about making the switch to the new Somerset unitary council. A Yeovil man is setting-up Somerset’s first wheelchair rugby club...and more.

Emergency stroke services in the county could be offered in one hospital instead of two, in the future. NHS managers are looking at whether to close the emergency stroke unit at either Yeovil or Musgrove Park hospitals, so they have all the specialist staff and equipment in one place.

A court has heard how a Chard woman, who portrayed herself as being homeless, stole a man’s wallet after he invited her back to his flat for a meal. Taunton Crown Court was told that Emma Shirley, now of David Way in Chard, approached the man in Yeovil town centre claiming to have no money for food and repaid his kindness by stealing £180 from him. Shirley, who had a history of similar offending, was jailed for fifteen months.

The former Conservative Leader of Somerset County Council, David Fothergill, has been speaking about making the switch to the new Somerset unitary council. From April next year, Somerset’s district councils, including South Somerset and the County Council will disappear and be replaced by the new 'one' council that will run all council services across Somerset. The Liberal Democrats won control of the County Council at the local elections and will run the new unitary when it comes into being in 2023. Councillor Fothergill says he wants the new unitary authority to be a success.

A Yeovil man is setting-up Somerset’s first wheelchair rugby club. Julian Allen, who won silver in the wheelchair rugby at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands, has enlisted the support of Help for Heroes and the Rifles’ Care for Casualties charity with the venture. He’s aiming to have a Somerset-based wheelchair rugby club in place to compete against teams like Southampton Sharks Bournemouth Lions by the start of the 2023 season.

A four-year-old boy from Chard, who suffers from eczema, is taking on a walking challenge to support other children with the condition. Ezra Venn was diagnosed with eczema as a baby and despite being given various treatments his condition remains pretty much unchanged. Ezra, who will start primary school in September, is completing 5,000 walking steps every day during May, raising funds for Eczema Outreach Support.

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