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.

More from News

Friday 31st July

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says July has been its busiest month ever for emergency calls. Police have recovered a 1970s Austin Mini pick-up stolen in Shepton Mallet. A specialist spinal injuries service at Yeovil Hospital has treated three hundred patients in its first year... and more
Thursday 30th July

The Environment Agency has declared a drought across Somerset as the hot weather takes its toll on the county's water supplies. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal road traffic accident near Crewkerne. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...and more
Wednesday 29th July

Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of moped thefts in Chard. A combine harvester has been destroyed in a farm fire at Forton, near Chard. A bowls player from Yeovil has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow... and more
Tuesday 28th July

The former Beales department store in Yeovil could be brought back into use as part of a wider masterplan for the future of the town. A yellow heat health alert is in place across Somerset from nine o’clock this morning until nine o’clock on Friday morning. A Somerset farmer says this year is the driest on his land since 1976... and more
Monday 27th July

Gooch and Housego, based in Ilminster and one of the town’s biggest employers, has been sold in a multi-million-pound deal to an American private equity firm. A father who shook his four-week-old baby to death at a house in Chard has been sentenced to life in prison. A doctor who works for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is one of five people to have jointly set a new world record for rowing around Great Britain... and more
Friday 24th July

Avon and Somerset Police are warning people to watch out for scammers posing as Amazon. The CEO of the company that provides Somerset's recycling is warning of a major incident if people continue to put used batteries in waste bins. A former Yeovil pub could be demolished to make way for a major hotel expansion.
Thursday 23rd July

The West Country is officially one step closer to being declared in drought. Somerset Council says it's remodelling its service after a children's home was closed following an inspection. A new McDonald's planned off the M5 at Bridgwater could create up to 120 local jobs... and more
Wednesday 22nd July

Two men have been jailed for stealing electrical items and cash from a property in Yeovil. Somerset Council has defended its use of Yeovil’s new performance area in The Triangle, in Lower Middle Street. Tintinhull Primary School, near Yeovil, has won a top national award for outdoor play... and more