Senior figures in Somerset have been paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth following her death aged 96 yesterday. All schools in Somerset are expected to become academies by 2030 under a new government policy. Families in Somerset could benefit from a new epilepsy specialist nurse...and more.
Senior figures in Somerset have been paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth following her death aged 96 yesterday. Lord Lieutenant of Somerset Annie Maw said the country had lost one of the greatest people of our age. She had set an exemplary example of devoted service and against so many odds her message had always been one of peace, unity and partnership. The nation has lost someone without whom life would never be the same. On behalf of the people of Somerset, the Chairman of Somerset County Council, Councillor Mike Best, offered his deepest sympathies to the Royal Family. In Yeovil, a book of condolence has opened at St Johns Church.
All schools in Somerset are expected to become academies by 2030 under a new government policy. The Department for Education outlined its plans for Somerset’s remaining council-controlled schools to become academies within eight years in a white paper. At the moment, Somerset has 130 academies that are run as multi-academy trusts rather than by Somerset County Council. Families in Somerset could benefit from a new epilepsy specialist nurse, based at Yeovil Hospital. Emma Christie has been appointed to the role, which is funded by ‘Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity’.
Former Somerset cricketer James Hildreth is getting a stand named after him at the county ground in Taunton. He retired last month, after playing for the club since 2003. The River stand will be renamed the James Hildreth Stand in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the club.
South Somerset District Council has launched a public consultation into the provision of outdoor play and youth facilities across the district. The Council says it wants to better understand the supply and demand of facilities, including their quality and availability. You can take part in the questionnaire, which is open to October 18th, via the South Somerset District Council website.
The new owner of Yeovil Town says he’s in talks with Somerset Council about buying back Huish Park. Water levels at some of Somerset’s reservoirs are below what they should be for this time of year. A Chard woman has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours... and more.
Police are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic accident near Chard, which left one person with life-threatening injuries. Texas Rocks in Middle Street, Yeovil, has closed temporarily following a significant fire. A Yeovil dental hygienist has been named as a finalist in the Ms Great Britain competition...and more.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance has criticised the Chancellor’s Spending Review for not delivering real change for Yeovil and South Somerset. The CEO of Leonardo UK states that they’re working towards closing the gender pay gap within the company. Yeovil Town is relocating its first-team training camp to Bristol... and more.
People in Somerset are being asked for their views on the state of the county’s roads and footpaths. A trial is being conducted at Yeovil Hospital to investigate whether administering shorter courses of antibiotics to patients can effectively treat sepsis. Somerset Council says it has no plans to reopen a block of public toilets in Chard...and more.
A mother from Chard says schools need to do more to identify students with dyslexia. A fire in a van that caught alight at Stoke-sub-Hamdon is being treated as accidental. A former Yeovil-based police officer, who made it appear he was working when he wasn’t, has been barred from policing...and more
Somerset Council is giving £1.5m to Hill View Special School at Ash near Martock to prevent it from closing. Two men have been convicted of killing a Yeovil man they mistakenly believed to be a convicted paedophile. People across Somerset are being asked to make a note of any wildlife they see...and more
Community Speedwatch volunteers in Keinton Mandeville have stopped monitoring the local traffic
because of online and verbal abuse. Redstart Primary School in Chard has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. A care home resident in Glastonbury has raised more than one thousand pounds for Children's Hospice Southwest by knitting soft toys...and more.
Yeovil MP Adam Dance says he’s been told the temporary closure of the maternity unit at Yeovil Hospital will not be made permanent. Firefighters have dealt with a fire on a coach carrying passengers at Vagg Hill in Yeovil. The authorities in Chile are holding a man who lives in Milborne Port after being found with class-A drugs in a suitcase...and more.