Local News Monday 20th September

Monday, 20 September 2021 06:00

Around one-in-nine of the adult population in Yeovil and South Somerset have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. A case of the cattle disease BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Somerset. A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset. Home care companies in Somerset are struggling to meet the demand for their services. A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset.

Around one-in-nine of the adult population in Yeovil and South Somerset have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. Figures from NHS England show that 130,601 people aged 18 and over had received a first dose of the vaccine by September 13, with 17,291 remaining unvaccinated – around 11.7% of all adults in the area. Those aged 18-29 have the highest refusal rates in the area, with 23.3% yet to get a jab, followed by the 30-39 age bracket at 21.4%. Meanwhile, NHS England says it will send text messages and letters in the coming week to more than a million people inviting them to book their coronavirus booster jab. Those eligible include people aged 50 and over, those living and working in care homes for the elderly and frontline health and social care workers.

A case of the cattle disease BSE has been confirmed on a farm in Somerset. The Animal and Plant Health Agency say the infected animal has died and the carcass removed. Restrictions on the movement of cattle on the farm, which hasn’t been identified, have been put in place.

A new way of helping people who've gone missing is being used by South Western Railway in Somerset. It's joined forces with the national charity Missing People to try a different approach to using posters to advertise that someone is missing. Instead, South Western Railway staff will be given confidential briefings on people to look out for so they can approach them in person and offer help.

Home care companies in Somerset are struggling to meet the demand for their services, leading to more people being temporarily placed in care homes. Providers had to hand back 60 packages of care to the County Council between April and June, mainly because of staffing shortages.

Football shirts, specially made to mark the 125th anniversary of Yeovil Town have been donated to BBC's ‘Kit Out the Nation’ appeal. The shirts, printed for a day of celebrations last year that was cancelled due to the pandemic, will be distributed to local amateur teams unable to afford new kit of their own.

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Thursday 30th October

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