Local News Friday 4th March

Friday, 4 March 2022 06:00

Travelodge says it would like to build a new hotel in Yeovil. Bus operators in Somerset are to get a share of 150 million pounds of new government funding. The lifting of the ban on care staff, unvaccinated against Covid from working in care homes, has been welcomed. Rickshaws are being used as a novel form of public transport on the streets of Wells. The shop workers union USDAW has been speaking about the abuse that their members in Somerset have faced in the last twelve months...and more.

Travelodge says it would like to build a new hotel in Yeovil. The hotel chain has included Yeovil on a list of thirty-five places in the South West and Wales where it would like a presence. Travelodge is asking people to contact them if they know of any sites in Yeovil that would be suitable to turn into a hotel

Bus operators in Somerset are to get a share of 150 million pounds of new government funding. It's part of a wider grant scheme by the Department for Transport to help services recover from the effects of the pandemic. The grant scheme is expected to run until October this year.

The lifting of the ban on care staff, unvaccinated against Covid from working in care homes, has been welcomed by the Somerset-based Vice-Chair of the National Care Association, Joyce Pinfield. The government says it’s been possible to lift the ban because there’s now more natural immunity to Covid in the population but Joyce Pinfield says the care sector has paid a high price, with thousands of care workers leaving their jobs because of the ban.

Rickshaws are being used as a novel form of public transport on the streets of Wells. The Wells Community Network says the rickshaws are helping older people and those with mobility problems get around the city more easily.

The shop workers union USDAW has been speaking about the abuse that their members in Somerset have faced in the last twelve months. USDAW claims that 90% of their members experienced verbal abuse and 64% had threats made against them by customers.

Yeovil Town play away against Notts County tomorrow. Meanwhile, Yeovil Manager, Darren Sarll says he needs to bring in at least one new player to help improve his team, with a third of games in the National League this season still to be played.

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Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more