Local News Monday 18th July

Monday, 18 July 2022 06:00

There’s been a delay to work starting on a £30 million pound upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. A hospital ward in Yeovil has introduced a booking system for visitors after an outbreak of coronavirus. The Liberal Democrats have won a council by-election in Yeovil. A voluntary group in Ilminster, aiming to plant a tree for every resident of the town has so far planted nearly half its target number of trees. A new NHS facility has opened in Yeovil town centre...and more.

There’s been a delay to work starting on a £30 million pound upgrade of Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre. The Octagon was due to close in January for work to begin but will now stay open until May. The theatre’s owners, South Somerset District Council said a number of key milestones with the Octagon project have still to be reached before the upgrade can start. The revamped Octagon Theatre will include an increase in seating capacity in the main auditorium from 622 to 900. Two cinema/ studio spaces for film screenings, a dance studio, and a new café and restaurant area. The Council recently allocated a further six million pounds to the project to offset a rise in material costs.

A hospital ward in Yeovil has introduced a booking system for visitors after an outbreak of coronavirus. Rowan Ward at Summerlands Hospital has brought in the measure to minimise the spread of the virus. Rowan ward has a total of 18 beds and provides assessment and treatment for adults who are experiencing acute mental health problems.

The Liberal Democrats have won a council by-election in Yeovil. It was to represent the Brympton ward on South Somerset District Council. Barbara Appleby for the Lib Dems topped the poll with 582 votes. Tony Power for the Conservatives came second with 251 votes. Alan Flint for the Greens was third with 71 votes. Terry Ledlie for Labour was fourth on 61 votes and Ashley Richards, the Independent, came fifth with 29 votes. The turnout was 15.7 per cent, meaning less than one in six of those eligible to vote turned out to vote.

A voluntary group in Ilminster, aiming to plant a tree for every resident of the town has so far planted nearly half its target number of trees. The Ilminster Tree Group set out three years ago to plant seven-and-a-half-thousand trees, one for each adult person in Ilminster.

A new NHS facility has opened in Yeovil town centre. The centre that offers a variety of eye treatments, including those for glaucoma, is based in the Quedam shopping centre in a unit previously occupied by Monsoon.

An Ilchester cheese supplier has won seven commendations for the quality of its cheeses. Norseland was recognised for its dairy and plant-based products at the International Cheese Awards.

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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