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.
A new website has been launched to support people in Somerset with mental health issues. One of Yeovil’s oldest pubs has been sold. Artwork on the theme of aviation produced by students at Yeovil College has gone on display at Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil.A pupil at Tatworth Primary School near Chard has won a prize in a national competition for writing a book review...and more
Work laying a gas main on the A37 Dorchester Road near the Quicksilver Mail roundabout in Yeovil is to continue for a further two months. Somerset Council says the public toilets in Yeovil bus station will close at the end of the month but the waiting room will stay open temporarily. Former Yeovil Town Captain, Josh Staunton, has set up in business as a professional gardener...and more.
Somerset Council seeking to save £40 million by cutting one thousand jobs says 201 employees have so far applied to leave the authority based on voluntary redundancy. East Somerset Railway near Shepton Mallet has been used for filming the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals. An old-style red phone box in Castle Cary is being turned into Somerset's smallest museum...and more
Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.
Health inspectors have criticised Somerset's maternity services, including those at Yeovil Hospital. Somerset Council says re-opening Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in its original form could cost up to £200,000 if a multi-million-pound upgrade of the building falls through. A film made by a Yeovil man on a budget of just five thousand pounds was screened at the prestigious British Independent Film Festival...and more.
The Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard says it needs an immediate injection of £100,000 to keep going. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has returned to Yeovil Rugby Club where she began her rugby career 20 years ago. Twenty-five Town criers from across the South will be in Ilminster tomorrow competing in the annual Ilminster Town Criers' Competition...and more.
Train services through Somerset are again being disrupted today due to continued strike action by the train driver’s union ALSEF. A campaign has been launched in Somerset aimed at stopping people overdosing on opioids. A Somerset business is raising a smile with its name.‘Top Of The Clops’, a tack shop near Taunton has won a place in the top ten of the UK’s funniest business names...and more.
A woman driver has been told she faces a prison term for causing the deaths of two people in a crash on the A303. The AA says there are more potholes than ever on Somerset’s motorway network, leading to an increase in damage to vehicles. The new cancer treatment unit at Yeovil Hospital should be open before the end of the year...and more.