Local News Friday 9th July

Friday, 9 July 2021 06:00

The start date to begin work regenerating Yeovil town centre has been pushed back for the fourth time. South Somerset has moved towards a greener future following a drop in carbon dioxide emissions. Grants of up to two-and-a-half thousand pounds are being made available to smaller charities and community groups in South Somerset. A pub near Ilminster has opened for the first time in over 12-months. The George at Donyatt closed in March last year due to the pandemic...and more.

The start date to begin work regenerating Yeovil town centre has been pushed back for the fourth time. The Yeovil Refresh project will see public spaces revitilised and the Borough pedestrianized. South Somerset District Council had intended work starting last summer. Then said it would be early 2021 and revised that date to June. Now, they say it will be August at the earliest before the project gets off the ground

South Somerset has moved towards a greener future following a drop in carbon dioxide emissions. New figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show CO2 emissions in the Yeovil area fell by 3.1 percent in 2019 compared to the year before. Between 2009 and 2019 overall CO2 emissions in South Somerset lowered by 24.2 percent.

Grants of up to two-and-a-half thousand pounds are being made available to smaller charities and community groups in South Somerset. The money from the Somerset Community Foundation is to help organisations with the costs of re-opening now Covid restrictions are being eased.

A pub near Ilminster has opened for the first time in over 12-months. The George at Donyatt closed in March last year due to the pandemic. Owners, Helen Calvert and Steven Faulkner have used the time to spring clean and redecorate the building.

Lady members of Chard Inner Wheel have held a party to mark the group’s 70th anniversary. Since it was formed in 1950, members of Chard Inner Wheel in Chard have raised money for dozens of local good causes including Chard Carnival and St Margaret’s Hospice.

The Fearne Animal Sanctuary near Chard has launched an appeal for funds to upgrade a duck pond. Money raised will be used to buy a new water treatment system and build a structure to keep ducks and wild birds separate during the influenza season.

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Friday 13th March

The first of the new medium lift helicopters being built by Leonardo in Yeovil for the RAF will be delivered in 2031. Somerset Council has launched a public consultation on planned new charges at its two hundred public car parks. More women in Somerset are said to be taking up walking football... and more
Thursday 12th March

A Yeovil headteacher says he’s concerned about plans to stop giving school holiday food vouchers to families on low incomes. The owner of Yeovil Town is calling on fans to be patient as he continues his overhaul of the National League side. A high voltage fault is being blamed for plunging 1700 homes into darkness in the Ilminster area... and more
Wednesday 11th March

Plans have been submitted to convert two properties in Yeovil into houses of multiple occupation. A new court date has been announced for a Yeovil man charged with attempted murder. An engineer who has worked at the Leonardo factory in Yeovil for 40-years has won a top industry award... and more
Tuesday 10th March

Police say a fire at the former Oscar Mayer food factory in Chard was started deliberately. Yeovil College says it would have been adversely affected had Leonardo not won the contract to build new medium-lift helicopters. A seven-foot dragon will be visiting towns and villages in our area during the next few weeks to promote Somerset Day... and more
Monday 9th March

Two Wildcat helicopters from 815 Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton have arrived in Cyprus to help protect RAF Akrotiri from further Iranian drone strikes. New figures show that 40 people were killed on Avon and Somerset’s roads in the last 12-months. A Somerset man has been recalling the day 60-years ago when he was a passenger on the last train on the Somerset and Dorset Railway... and more
Friday 6th March

Defence Minister Luke Pollard has been explaining why it took the government so long to confirm a contract for the Leonardo in Yeovil to build new medium lift helicopters for the RAF. Police are investigating a break in at a pet shop in Ilminster. Somerset Council is to stop using red ink on council tax reminder letters... and more
Thursday 5th March

Two military helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton are being sent to Cyprus to help bolster UK’s defences amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Yeovil Town Council is seeking legal advice over the closure of the hyper acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. Flood warnings have been lifted on the Somerset Levels... and more
Wednesday 4th March

A man has died in a fire in Wincanton. Somerset Council is planning further cuts of twenty-one million pounds to help balance its books. A campaign to raise £30,000 for a minibus has been launched in Chard... and more