Preston Academy in Yeovil has been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted. Ambulance workers in Somerset have called off their planned strike action this week. Fifteen million pounds is being invested at Yeovil Hospital. An Ilminster man has appeared in court charged with driving a motor vehicle when not in proper control of the vehicle and work starts this week upgrading a children’s play area in Chard.
Preston Academy in Yeovil has been rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors. Their report, based on a visit to Preston Academy in early January, rated the school as ‘good’ in all four areas of inspection. It represents a turnaround in the running of Preston Academy which in 2019 was rated as ‘requiring improvement’.
Ambulance workers in Somerset have called off their planned strike action this week after being offered additional money for this year and next year by the government. The GMB and Unison unions say it has suspended two days of planned strikes pending a satisfactory outcome to talks with health ministers.
Fifteen million pounds in NHS funding is being invested to deal with patients waiting at Yeovil Hospital. The hospital is getting a new theatre, new robotic surgery equipment, as well as an already announced new Day Ward that is due to open in the Spring.
An Ilminster man has appeared in court charged with driving a motor vehicle when not in proper control of the vehicle. Kevin Hopkins of Dowlish Ford near Ilminster was found guilty of the offence by magistrates in Yeovil and had three penalty points added to his licence and fined £285.
Work starts this week up-grading a children’s play area in Chard. The improvements to Upper Henson Park near Avishayes Community School are set to last five weeks and will see monkey bars, a climbing wall and new grassed areas introduced.
There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.