Local News Monday 30th May

Monday, 30 May 2022 06:00

South Somerset District Council says it’s planning to begin the £30 million pound upgrade to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in January. It’s been announced that Bruton School for Girls is to permanently close in July due to a drop in pupil numbers. Conservation groups are warning walkers in Somerset to beware of disturbing baby deer over the next few weeks. A report has found what caused a flight from RNAS Yeovilton to crash last summer narrowly avoiding houses...and more.

South Somerset District Council says it’s planning to begin the £30 million pound upgrade to Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre in January. The redevelopment will include a fly tower, expanding the main auditorium capacity from 622 to 900, and creating two smaller cinema or studio spaces, with a dance studio and community studio. The Council says the project is subject to an ongoing review but the current plan is for the Octagon to close for work to begin early in the New Year.

It’s been announced that Bruton School for Girls is to permanently close in July due to a drop in pupil numbers. In 2018 the school had 199 pupils. The predicted number on roll from September is 45. Bruton School for Girls is part of The King's School Bruton Foundation. The two other schools in the Foundation, King's of Bruton and Hazlegrove, are not affected by the decision.

Conservation groups are warning walkers in Somerset to beware of disturbing baby deer over the next few weeks. Pregnant deer are currently giving birth and nursing their young across the Mendips and the Blackdown Hills. A new campaign is asking people not to approach young deer hidden in the grass and to keep dogs under close control.

A report has found what caused a flight from RNAS Yeovilton to crash last summer narrowly avoiding houses. The Hawker Sea Fury’s crankpin failed causing the engine to seize less than five minutes after take off. The pilot and his passenger both escaped without serious injury.

A petition’s been started calling on Somerset County Council to ban trail hunting on land that it owns and manages. The petition organisers, The League Against Cruel Sports, say trail hunting is a smokescreen for illegal hunting and claim that Somerset remains a hotspot for fox and deer hunting.

A shop in Chard has presented a cheque for £760 to Chard Hospital League of Friends. The Original Factory Shop on Great Western Road in Chard raised the money by selling carrier bags and holding a Christmas Bingo.

More from News

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